Zero-One: The X Protocol
by seanzilla115
Summary: The Age of machines, cybernetic life known as Reploids born of human engineering. But not all is perfect, those who would ruin the future of Human and Reploid attack. The Strongest Robot, Megaman X...the Greatest CEO Kamen Rider, Zero-One! Riding through the world of ones and zeroes the future is now!
1. Routine 1

_GammaTron: Well, once again, a new story. This time our first Reiwa Rider!_

_KamenRiderZER0: The First of the new Japanese Era. Zero-One! Though what should we use for a show about AI and robots...SZ!_

_SZ: Hmm...Megaman! But not just any Megaman...Megaman X!_

_GT: Yep. But with a small twist in terms of the timeline. Instead of the hundred years? No sealing. Will be explained in-story, so do not worry._

_Z0: It'll all be worth it!_

_GT: Yep. So on to Disclaimers! We do not own Kamen Rider Zero-One nor the Megaman series. They are owned by their respective owners. Though if we did own Megaman, we'd have Legends 3 and not let it be cancelled nor any of the others!_

_Z0: *thwacks GT with a shovel to shut him up* Ehehehe...sorry bout that...SZ...SZ pick up the mood while I hide the body!_

_SZ: Hai! Now…*pulls out a Megabuser and prepares for a Charge Shot*Ikuze!*fires a massive beam at teh screen, breaking it_

_GT and Z0: *gawk at him being the ruiner of the stage this time*_

_SZ: What? I can be destructive too._

* * *

=The new age of AI technology will bring you to the future…= an announcer voice called out as a screen showed a robotic humanoid being =Reploids, an android built with AI and sentience. With the tech of object recognition, they recognize who I am and act accordingly= the announcer voice continued as a man in a business suit walked out of the shadows, walking near the Reploid before extending his hand towards it =Morning=

=...Good morning, President Korenosuke Hiden= the reploid greeted with a small smile as he accepted the handshake.

=You may be wondering how this is possible. It is thanks to a man of great intelligence. A kind man who wanted to create a machine with a Soul...Doctor Thomas Light= Korenosuke informed as an elderly man with a white fluffy beard, short white hair, a red shirt, brown slacks, and a large lab coat covering it all walked out of the shadows =Good day, Doctor=

=Good day, President Hiden= he replied before offering a hand to the Reploid =Good morning=

=Good morning, Doctor Thomas Light= the Repliod greeted, accepting the doctor's hand with a small smile.

=We here at Hiden Intelligence strive to bring the future to you the people= Korenosuke smiled as he held his hand out as if to hand over something to the people before him, =Now let us rise and chase your dreams!=

=And work on a future...where humans and Reploids can get along as equals= Doctor Thomas Light smiled.

=...And those were the last words of two great men…= a female news announcer sighed sadly, looking at the still image of the two before looking at the viewers =The funeral service of Hiden Intelligence's founders was held this morning to members of the political and economic world. Even the Maverick Hunters, Reploids who help humans and innocent Reploids against the threat of Mavericks, have attended the funeral out of respect for Dr. Light…=

As the announcer spoke, screens displayed upon holographic screens broadcasting from a blimp flying over a city, a figure pedaled as fast as they could. The figure was a young man, possibly in his early twenties, with scraggly brown hair. He was wearing a blue jacket over a red shirt and blue jeans.

"Shoooooooot! I'm laaaate!" the man panicked, "Even with the five alarms I set yesterdaaaay! Get those wheels moving, you biiiiiike!"

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE: THE X PROTOCOL!**

* * *

"Late...can't be late!" the man panted, now running through an amusement park, "Morning, Yui!"

"Good Morning," A female Reploid greeted with a nod.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming!" an announcer greeted as the young man ran into the curtains behind the stage, hoping no one would see him, "Put your hands together for the next Comedian in line, and hope you enjoy the show," he said as he moved aside.

"Thank yoooou!" the man from before beamed as he ran through a pair of opened doors, dressed in a bright-blue tuxedo with an oversized red bow, "It's-a me, Aruto!" he quickly pulled out a phone-like device, "Alright, Rise Phone. What's the weather, for crying out cloud?"

=It's gonna rain on your parade= the phone answered

"Ooh~! That's cold!" Aruto winced, shivering a bit before pointing at the crowd, "And that's Aru, folks!" he blinked when he saw no one in the crowd, well save for an elderly couple eating funnel cake together, but they turned their hearing aids off to ignore him so...same thing, "...EH?!"

"You're fired," an older man in a light-blue business suit stated, perfectly calm.

"HUH?!" Aruto freaked, "Ah! W-Wait! Come on, Manager, please give me another chance!"

"As you know, this era is more suited to Reploids," he replied simply.

"Put your hands together for the next Comedian in life, and hope you enjoy the show," the announcer informed before the pair of doors opened, revealing a muscular-looking Reploid in a weight-lighting suit kneeling down...before standing up with a jovial smile.

"Helloooo~!" the Reploid greeted as he ran down the stairs before snapping the straps of his uniform, "I am Abs-cruncher Taro!"

"Ha! As if an AI could get our sense of humor!" a man in the crowd called.

"Hmm...you're right...oh! I know!" Taro gasped before he posed, flexing his muscles as he flexed his abs, causing some panels to fly off and show the metal underneath, "Ab-lib Poweeeeeer!"

The crowd laughed in response at this, clapping at Taro's performance while Aruto just gawked at their response.

"Look at that. Everyone's in joy from laughter," the manager noted as he looked at the crowd, "Making such a lively theme park is my dream."

"...I feel you," Aruto admitted as he reached his hand out for something invisible, "My dream is to get the crowd laughing," he said as he turned...to see the manager walking away, "?!"

"I've got someone who can do that already, so go find another dream."

"Gah!" Aruto gawked at that, becoming stone for a moment before falling to his knees, "So cold…"

"I think it's a good dream."

"Ah! X!" Aruto beamed as he shot up and turned to face a male Reploid.

He had fair skin and sharp emerald eyes. He had short brown hair wearing a simple blue shirt with a sun on the left shoulder and a moon on the right shoulder, a pair of white gloves, white running shoes with blue shoelaces, and a pair of jeans.

"Oh I am so glad to see you, buddy!" Aruto sighed in relief, "Where were you?!"

"Sorry. I had to deal with an important mission...we ended up losing GBD."

"Eh?! GBD's gone?! Aw I liked that guy…" Aruto groaned at that.

"Eh...What you gonna do?" X laughed, "But again, I apologize for being late, Aruto."

"It's fine...though I got some cold flack from your sister this morning for sleeping in," Aruto muttered.

"Least Rico helped cheer you up, right?"

"She did, but only for a quick second before she had to be called for a meeting by the Executive Vice President."

"Eh? For what?"

* * *

"A job well done with the President and Dr. Light's funeral, Mr. Executive VP," a female Reploid said as she held a clipboard while looking at man in a business suit with his short hair stylized.

The Reploid looked like a young woman donning a mainly white and blue uniform-like armor, with yellow and orange details. While she looked quite proper and professional, with a necktie, headset and tablet giving her the appearance of a businesswoman, her young looks also gave her a jovial and upbeat aspect. Matching the details of her armor, she had blue eyes and hair, the latter kept tied in a sidetail. She also sported some round glasses with a silver frame.

"...You do not need to address me as VP anymore, Rico," the man replied as he looked at a picture of Dr. Light and Korenosuke, "Show them, Shesta."

"With pleasure," a female Reploid replied as she pressed a button, causing a large painting of the man to lower...right in front of the picture of Korenosuke and Dr. Light.

"At long last...the company is mine," the man smiled.

"...With all due respect, Mr. Executive VP, that is highly disrespectful," Rico frowned a bit, "Especially towards Dr. Light and Aruto's grandfather."

"Relics of the past!" the Executive VP waved off, earning a small scowl from her, "Prepare a board meeting!"

"For the reading of the will, correct?"

"Right right, that formality. As if they could leave the company to anybody else!"

"There is the president's grands-"

"Anybody else!"

"..." Rico rolled her eyes at that as she walked off, taking her glasses off, "Just be happy Roll didn't hear you…"

* * *

Elsewhere, in a gated area stood an abandoned area with various wrecked buildings, various wreckage littering the ground with a sign reading 'Daybreak Town' leaning against a nearby building. Within an abandoned warehouse, a few figures could be seen within it, one of them examining something like an excited child. The excited one was clad in a hooded jacket made of a mismatch of dull worn grey and magenta, two black straps across his torso, a pair of black pants with many pockets and pouches, a black sash tied around his waist to hold together two strips of cloth with patterns. A belt kept his attire together with a pink rope belt added just on top of it.

"Hiden's president and Dr. Light are deceased, so we'll now be going into our plan…" one of the figures spoke, "The Maverick uprising that Sigma had started."

He was clad in a in ragged clothing, from the waist down. He wore black hakama with strips of dirty grey and purple cloth hanging from his waist with a black and gold trimmed obi and multiple belts keeping his attire together. His torso was covered in ragged clothing, his black jacket was obscured by a grey ragged shirt like a tunic, his left sleeved was clasped to his shoulder and made of velvet like material, while his right sleeve was covered in multiple belt straps. They had orangish hair which was kept back by a black and purple headband made of rags.

"What's that? How will we do it?" the more childish figure asked as they approached the other.

"...By utilizing the Reploid's singularity," the other figure answered as they looked at a device.

"Hmm? Like the Maverick virus that caused the Maverick Hunters' former leader to go berserk?"

"Not berserk...freed him from the shackles of humanity," he explained as he finished constructing a buckle like device with a slot that looked like it fit a cartridge or key of some kind, "They say once a Reploid goes Maverick, they must be put down. No...it's a sign...a sign that Mavericks are the next stage of Reploids. The sign that the time has come...the time to exterminate humanity...much like this city long ago. Sigma saw this and wanted to help his brethren rise up...but was quelled by the Maverick Hunters. Thankfully...there are those that still follow his beliefs, and one day dream of his return."

"...Huh?"

The other sighed, "Just...Just look out for Reploids with more emotion than normal, alright?"

"Oh...okay!"

"Besides...who could stop us now?"

* * *

Elsewhere in a small lab area, a female Reploid sat silently, her eyes closed as she sat near some equipment, which soon sprang to life as it began to construct something. The female Reploid in question was a young woman like Rico with long blond hair with a green hairband with a bow on it on her head. She wore a red business suit with a pair of slacks instead of a skirt. As the machine began using a 3D printer to begin creation of a device and a square shaped device, the headphones on the female Reploid lit up, awakening her and revealing her eyes were a dull cerulean, seemingly lifeless.

"Receiving orders from the BS-ZA," she spoke monotonically as she stood up, "Fulfilling task."

* * *

"Seriously, X...Why aren't my riotous jokes getting the crowds to riot?" Aruto asked, moving his bike as he and X walked through a small area, "Is it the timing or something?"

"Maybe. What did you go with?" X asked.

"Rise Phone, what's the weather for crying out loud?"

=It's gonna rain on your parade= the phone answered

"Ooh~! That's cold!" Aruto winced, shivering a bit.

"...Pffft…!" X held back a laugh, wheezing as he slapped a knee in amusement, "Oh...Ohh...That...How does that not cause a laugh riot?"

"I know, right?! I..." Aruto began before a black car drove up near the two, "...Eh?" he blinked before tensing when he saw the female Reploid in red climb out, "R-Roll…"

"Object Recognition confirmed," she replied as she examined him, "Aruto Hiden, 22 years old. He currently exist, identifies as a 'hilarious stand-up comedian,' and is relatively unknown."

"...Savage," Aruto whispered, a dark depressing aura surrounding him as he laid on the ground, "...This is still about me oversleeping through my alarms, isn't it?"

"Uh, hello, Roll…" X greeted.

"X Light, 7 years old. Currently a member of the Maverick Hunters on leave due to previous mission," Roll noted, looking at him, "Both of you, please follow."

"...If it's about three nights ago...that was Aruto."

"EH?! No way! That was your fault, not mine!"

***SMACK! WHAM!***

"Please follow," Roll repeated, lowering the broom she had in her hand as she got back into the vehicle, followed by a grumbling X and Aruto, both sporting large smoking bumps on their heads.

* * *

Back inside the Amusement park, another Comedy act was taking a turn on the stage. They seemed to be another hit from the many laughs. Backstage, Taro was sitting down. He reviewed his performance and how the audience reacted. He saw all the smiles he brought to those people. And...it made him...happy. It was...strange. Not something any normal Reploid could explain. It was more than_ just _happy he felt. He really had no way to describe this feeling. He smiled widely at what he felt and hoped to be able to do more of his routine and share how he felt. A beeping snapped him from his thoughts.

"Found you~"

"Eh?" Taro pondered as he stood up and turned...just in time for one of the two figures that had been in the destroyed town slam something on his waist.

It was a strange metal device with a slot on the front of it with five metallic red pipes on the left side, one connecting two to one another on the upper left and one connecting to another on the lower left. A belt emerged from the sides...with spikes on the inside of the belt. They twitched before slamming down hard on his waist and connected to one another while digging right into Taro's body.

"?! G...gah!" Taro cried out in pain, electricity crackling off him.

"You're my friend now…" the figure smiled, "Now...go wreak havoc on this place."

"Gah...n...no...I…." Taro grunted, "I can't…! My job...is to make people laugh!"

_**=Do it…= **_a voice echoed within Taro's head, making his eyes flash red for a moment _**=Those humans...they were laughing at you because they felt you were inferior to them...they felt you were nothing but a joke for their amusement...you are better than this...rise up...rise up and show the humans what happens to those they mock...to those they **_**FEAR**_**!= **_the voice roared as what looked like a bestial version of the greek symbol Sigma appeared in Taros eyes for a moment.

"G...GAAAAAAAH!" Taro screamed in pain, the memories of people laughing happily fading away as his eyes flashed fully red, "Linked to MetsuboJinraiNetto...Glory to Lord Sigma…"

"...Hai," the figure beamed as he held out a rectangular object to him.

It was black with green sections. It had a bolt for a section to swivel out. It had a strange circular symbol that looked like a mask of some kind. From it a praying mantis image formed on the front with words printed atop it. Berotha Maverick Type: Zetsumetsu. Taro took the object from the figure, gripping it hard in his hand as it shook. That feeling he once held before was long gone. All he cared about now was destruction...and to make the humans who mocked him pay...by showing them the true power of a Maverick..to show them despair in the face of the superior race.

* * *

"It is obvious why I gathered you all here today," the Executive VP spoke as he stood before a large crowd of executives in front of a large circular table, Aruto and X being amongst the people there, "To read one of the late Hiden Intelligence's founders, Korenosuke Hiden's will…" he then looked over at Aruto, "I had him come here for this reason, too."

"I had no idea he had a grandson," one of the executives there noted.

"I hear he's technically adopted…" one whispered.

"This is why Grandpa never did take your kids to work day…" Aruto sighed, "I see Mr. Fukuzoe is pushing the other executives around…"

"Why is one of the Maverick Hunters' top agents here?" one asked, noticing X in the room.

"It was part of the arrangement made by Dr. Thomas Light, the other co-founder and Korenosuke's friend," Roll replied as she slipped the will in front of Aruto, "For the purpose of the notarized will, there will not be no problems of legality due to your absence. Hiden Korenosuke-san requested you would be the one to read his will aloud."

"Jeeze, Grandpa. Way to make sure I came to something of a downer like this…" Aruto sweatdropped as Roll walked out.

"Heh...Well don't worry. It's obvious they left the company and role of president to me. He probably left the kid some inheritance money or something..." the Executive VP Jun Fukuzoe smirked, ego heavy in his voice, Aruto looked at how he was dressed taking it as a jab to his fashion, "So go ahead...read it.'

"Sir, please," Rico sighed, glasses on once more, before looking to Aruto as he opened the will.

"...Eh?" Aruto whispered in surprise as he read the will, "You're kidding…?"

"Aruto?" X blinked as he looked over a bit, "?! S...sona…"

"What? What's wrong?" Fukuzoe asked as he shot up and grabbed the will from Aruto, "Give it here!"

"Sir, please calm down," Rico sighed.

"I am calm!" he snapped before Rico took the will, "Oi!"

"Permission to take your role in reading this, Mr. Hiden?" Rico requested.

"Uh...Yeah, sure," Aruto replied, his eyes wide in shock still.

"Thank you, Mr. Hiden," Rico thanked before looking at the will, "Ahem. 'In the near future, our company will face a serious crisis.'"

"Crisis? What does it mean?" a member of the board asked.

"'The Reploids that our company is making will be misused and attack humanity on a scale greater than Dr. Wily's attempts several years back,'" Rico continued to read.

"He's a little late on that…" another whispered, earning a shush from X while Roll came in with a black case.

"'There is only one countermeasure: The Zero-One Driver and Progrise Key,'" Rico read on.

Roll came to the desk and stood beside Aruto before placing the case on the table. She unlocked it before spinning it around and opening it up to show everyone what laid within. The device within was a Buckle of sorts. It was mostly black in color with a red arrow pointing to the left anatomically speaking. A silver arrow linked to a yellow half circle was in the center and seemed to be meant to slide along a track to cover the red section. A yellow circuit on the right side formed a rectangular scanner section.

"'Built into it is the new era's security system in order for human hands to take control of the Maverick threat, and assist my friend Thomas' creation, Megaman X. Only the company's president is authorized to use it,'" Rico continued on as Fukuzoe gained a confident grin, "'I have discussed it with Thomas and we both agree that my successor whom we entrust is my grandson, Aruto Hiden.'...Eh?!"

"Thank you. I will do this with the best of m-WAIT, WHAT!?" Fukuzoe exclaimed once that last part finally caught up to him.

"Me…" Aruto spoke finally.

"Aruto?!" X gawked.

The board let out exclamations of shock before everyone flinched the moment Roll slammed the butt of a broom on the floor...a broom she _did not_ have a moment before. Roll tapped a small little addendum in the bottom corner for Rico to read as well.

"Oh. H-hai…'By the way...The Zero-One Driver is keyed to Aruto's DNA...and the CEO can only be recognized upon my death if they have the Zero-One Driver.' ...Sugoi...It's like he expected shenanigans," Rico giggled before Roll tapped another part, "Oh. Uh, hai. 'I want him to become part of the staff, and overcome the company's crisis alongside X Light. That is all.'" Roll turned the paper over, "'PS: Please don't tell my remains that Fukuzoe wore that weird outfit I saw him receive before my last hospital visit in June for the will reading. I'm worried I'd come back just to force him out of it and put on his normal suit.'"

"THIS IS LUDICROUS!" Fukuzoe snapped as he shot up, "He's treating this company like a family business!"

"It is a family business, sir," Rico noted.

"You be quiet."

"..." Rico leaned over to X and whispered, "Do you think we should tell the president's body that he is wearing that outfit just to see if it does happen?"

"I don't think the Board can handle too many shocks...Let's not bring in potential zombies…" X whispered back, "Also...I'm taking pictures…" he added, slowly raising up a phone which took another picture without his notice, "I'm hoping it Meme's."

With a delayed reaction, the board proceeded to start standing up and arguing. Rico hid behind X while Roll merely stood in place, unflinching at the loud shouting matches going on.

"It's like the Christmas party from when I was 15…" Aruto muttered, "Only no one is using the Christmas tree like a jousting lance…" he took a deep breath as he prepared for what he was about to say, "Calm down, everyone!"

"?" the board blinked as they turned their attention towards him.

"Yeah...there's no way I can be president," Aruto admitted, "My dream is to get a laugh outta people. So...thank you for your time," he bowed as he stood up, grabbing his duffle bag as he walked out.

"H...b...h...i...w...f…z…." Fukuzoe sputtered in both disbelief and anger.

"Oh dear...he blew a fuse again," Rico whispered.

"Ah...Call his personal doctor!" X panicked as he began messaging his face, "Calm thoughts, sir...we can't lose another Board member in the same week!"

"Get off me!" he snapped, making X jump back, "I...I mean! Yes...that's right! He made the wise choice!"

"But...the Will says that until he becomes the CEO...no one can take his place," X argued, making him twitch again, "Ah…" he realized his mistake.

"Yes, but he turned it down, so I get to take his place! So ha! Suck it, you old f-"

***CLANG!***

"Soda floats…" Fukuzoe slurred as he fell to the floor, a steaming bump on his head as Roll lowered her broom as the board hid under the table to avoid that fate.

"...Do...do we take him to a Doctor Doctor for the head trauma or Psychiatrist Doctor for his mental break?" X asked Rico.

"MmmMmm…" she shrugged.

* * *

Aruto sighed as he rode the main elevator back down. As he did, he thought back to his life as a child around the many buildings of business which belonged to his family. And...well...his Family in general. His grandfather was a great man, kind of a workaholic. But that was also his charm, he'd work for hours making sure all his employees were treated right, and what Aruto liked most was how his Grandfather would be there...to be the first face every new Reploid saw the moment they were 'Born'. There was also his father.

* * *

-Flashback-

"Let's do a staring contest!" a little boy dressed in a blue hoodie and khaki pants cheered as he slapped his hands to his face and pulled down to make a silly face, "Boooooo~" he muttered earning a laugh from the man in front of him.

The man wore black pants, with white biking boots. He had a navy blue leather jacket covering his torso covering his black shirt. The man smiled as he crouched down revealing he had a pair of white headphones over his ears, blue lights glowing from them.

"Your funny, Aruto." he smiled happily and proudly.

"Let's do it again!" little Aruto demanded, "You're not laughing from the heart!"

"The result will always be the same," the Reploid man replied.

"I promise, I'll make you laugh for real, Otou-san!" Aruto cheered, accepting it as a challenge, revealing this Reploid to be his 'Father.'

However, the moment of joy was not meant to last. The young Aruto blinked as he heard the sounds of explosions. He turned his head just in time to see a large burst of blue flames come towards him and his Father. Then...it all went dark for a moment. The next thing the poor boy knew, he was waking up on the ground...confused, in slight pain as if he had fallen and scared after what happened. Aruto's eyes widened as he looked up and saw his Father...had used his body as a shield to protect him. His clothing was torn and burnt...the synthetic skin covering his face damaged and peeling away to reveal the robotic endoskeleton. Blue coolant which ran through his body leaked from the heavily damaged areas. To many, this might not be as frightening as it would to see a human take this level of damage...but to Aruto, this was still his father...the horror was just the same.

"Aruto…Head towards your dreams...Jump to them…" was his father's last words as he closed his eyes, letting out his final breath as he laid there motionless.

-end-

* * *

Aruto shook his head as he returned to the present just in time to exit into the Main Lobby. He looked as several Reploid workers began removing Fukuzoe's distasteful giant portrait from the wall so people could see the one of Aruto's grandfather and Dr. Light. Some of the Reploids looked at the giant portrait and began talking amongst themselves on what to do with it. Finally they decided to chuck it out back into the garbage. Aruto would almost laugh if he didn't consider the potential anger it would incite.

"...My dream…" Aruto whispered, going back to what he was previously thinking before as he looked up at the portrait of his grandfather and Dr. Light, "...Sorry, gramps...doc."

* * *

"Everyone loses their rulers when they graduate elementary school," One half of the comedy duo at the amusement park stated as they stood before the crowd once more.

"It happens," the other half noted as he pulled a ruler out, "Need one?"

"Why~?!"

The crowd laughed and cheered on the due as Aruto walked into the area, watching on before he noticed the manager was in the crowd. He began to approach him before stopping, recalling the words the manager said to him before...how this era seemed more suited for Reploids, that he already had someone to help bring in the laughs.

"...Maybe he's right…" Aruto whispered as he turned and began to walk away, "I…"

"Gah! P-please let me go!"

"?!" Aruto quickly turned to see Taro manhandling one of the stagehands before tossing him away, "Nande?!"

"My job is to make humans laugh…" Taro stated as he walked down the steps, the crowd looking on in confusion and worry at his tone, "...And to annihilate them for mocking me!" he declared as he pulled out the object the figure had given him and pressed something on it.

**=̴͟͞B͘͞ÉR̸͜O̡T̸HA̷̛=͏̢͝**

Taro slid the object into the belt-like device on his waist, causing red tubes to pop out as they injected into the object. He began to roar out as his skin began to melt, exposing the robotic exoskeleton underneath.

**=̷͜҉Z̵͜ETŚ̴͢U̴̢҉M͏E̵̢҉R̶͝I̸̛͞SE!̷=**

His roars increased into screams of utter rage and pain as green pipes erupted from his mouth and engulfed him, impaling him and going through multiple parts of his body. Once he was fully covered, the pipes glowed with a dark red energy before vanishing. In place of Taro stood a humanoid figure. The new figure was clad in all black body armor, with silver armor plates on its shoulders, center of its chest and waist. Green energy pipes ran up its legs and arms, with several more pipes forming a ribcage pattern on its torso. It's forearms had green metal armor which acted as holders for large scythe like blades which unfolded into the Robots hands as weapons. Its head was now larger and resembled the head of a praying mantis, with two large lime green optics poking out of the side now and a pointed mouth guard resembling the mandible of a mantis.

"?! M...Maverick…" Aruto whispered with wide eyes.

"**I...I am...Cutter Berotha...and my mission...to slaughter all humans…!" **the now Cutter Berotha growled out.

"T...Taro...h-he went Maverick!" one human screamed as the crowd began to run away just as two stage hands tried to stop the transformed Taro.

"Please leave them al-kya!" one of the stagehands began before Cutter Berotha knocked her and the other stagehand aside.

"**All of you too...Join our cause!"** he shouted, holding his hands up as tendrils shot out and began seeking out Reploids before stabbing into them, making them all cry out in pain, **"Uploading to MetsuboJinraiNetto verified...begin download Trilobite data!"**

The two stagehands that had been stabbed glowed red before their outer layers and clothes burned away, revealing their robotic forms. Their faces split open before white and gunmetal armor formed on their bodies with the last of it being a gunmetal layered mask that had no openings to it.

"**Now...slaughter them for our master!" **Cutter Berotha ordered.

The new Trilobite Mavericks held their hands out as machine guns formed from their arms. They raised them up and began shooting into the air to scare the humans further.

"Wh...what's going on…?" the manger whispered in disbelief, "Why...I...I thought the Maverick threat was dealt with…"

"...St-stop!" Aruto shouted, running up to Cutter Berotha before he could grab another human, "Please! Stop th-"

"**Get off me, ningen!" **Cutter Berotha snapped as he threw Aruto off him, sending him crashing into a sign and a few tables.

"Gah...X…."

* * *

=X. This is Alia...do you come in?= a voice spoke from X's phone just as he stepped outside with Roll and Rico, the former holding the case and the latter carrying a grocery bag.

"Eh?" X blinked as he answered, "What's wrong?"

=A Maverick signal was just detected at Giggle Dreamland=

"?! What…?" X whispered with wide eyes, "...Are they…?"

=It is unknown if they work under the stragglers of _his _army_, _but they are harming humans and infecting other Reploids with the Maverick Virus=

"?!" X's eyes widened in horror at that, "Someone ...found a way to spread the virus…" his eyes narrowed, "I'll be right there."

=Please do...A.I.M.S was seen heading to the same area the Maverick was sighted=

"Roger," X nodded as he hung up.

"...New Navigator?" Rico asked.

"She recently joined after Nana was transferred to another base," X explained.

"Eh…" Rico replied in a somewhat teasing tone.

"Stop it," X quickly replied.

"I didn't do anything…" she pouted.

"You were thinking it…" X pointed.

"..." Rico leaned to Roll and whispered, "I'm scared. He reads minds."

"I do not read minds…" X groaned.

"He did it again!" Rico panicked, hiding behind Roll...who simply stood there and simply blinked.

"I'm...I'm just gonna go…" X groaned tapping his phone a few times, "Zea, lock on to my location!"

At that, a blue light shone down from the sky suddenly. X sighed before jumping into the light as his body was now covered in blue body armor. X sighed before looking around.

"Uhm...Zea...my bike…"

=Apologies, Megaman X...your bike has not been reloaded into my launching bay after last deployment= a female voice replied from his phone.

"Wait, what? But I asked...ARUTO!" X shouted.

"I told you not to lend it to him…" Rico replied.

"Ah…" X groaned as he began jogging at inhuman speeds...or rather just amazing speeds.

"Wait...Isn't that the place Aruto use to work?" Rico remembered she then looked at Roll who was giving her a look, "Oh no…" she realized.

* * *

A series of armored vans drove up to Giggle Dreamland as the backs opened letting human soldiers dressed in black and blue uniforms with kevlar body armor. They wore metal helmets which helped improve their aim, each carried a combat rifle that had blue glowing lines along them. The letters A.I.M.S. painted over a metallic skull decorated their uniforms, vehicles and weapons.

"We've arrived at Giggle Dreamland, authorize the use of EMP Bullets?" One Soldier began as a man who chose to forsake the helmet stepped out.

"Authorised," he spoke as the wind blew through his messy black hair.

They all loaded blue ammo cartridges into their rifles before aiming and shooting at several Trilobite Mavericks. The bullets impacted with blue sparks that caused their bodies to spasm and freeze. Many of the human civilians began running as the soldiers continued unloading clip after clip on the Mavericks.

After a few more shots that stopped the Mavericks in their tracks, a woman in a business suit wearing a kevlar vest walked out. She had long black hair she brushed back as she took a look at the situation.

"Remember, we need to capture and study research specimens." she spoke to the team Captain, "So be sure to-"

"Eliminate them all," he ordered, loading in a new clip as he unleashed powerful armor piercing rounds that tore through the Maverick's armor and vital components.

"Shoot _after_ I finish!" she snapped at him.

* * *

Aruto groaned while pushing himself up, his jacket lost. Having finally regained consciousness, he awoke to what he could describe as a war zone. He could hear gunshots all throughout the park. Cries of terror and confusion as people continued to run from the Mavericks.

"Why's this happening?" Aruto gasped before spotting the manager, staring at the devastation in shock and grief.

"My...amusement park…" he sobbed out.

'_Everyone's in joy from laughter.' _his voice rang in Aruto's head from earlier today, _'Making such a lively amusement park is my dream.'_

"**Slaughter!"** Cutter Berotha spoke, walking up to the Manager while raising a hand, letting the blade on it extend.

"Manager!" Aruto panicked as he rushed and wrapped his arms around the Maverick to stop him from attacking the distraught man. However, the Maverick's strength let him easily bat Aruto away...yet a barrage of blue-tinted plasma shots were not what Cutter Berotha expected to be hit with and knocked away from the impacts into a wall.

"Maverick found," X noted, his right arm/hand replaced with a bulky blue and black blaster as Rico helped up Aruto while Roll walked over casually, still carrying the case.

"Aruto," Roll greeted before producing a tissue and placed it on his split lip from the Maverick's hit.

"Minna…" Aruto spoke.

"My...my dream…" the manager spoke, getting everyone's attention once more, he then gagged as Cutter Berotha grabbed him and lifted him up, quickly moving him between X and himself and making the Maverick Hunter tense.

"**A future where humans have dreams will never come!"** he taunted, bringing the Manager close to his face, **"Ahahahahaha!"**

Aruto's eyes widened at hearing his laughter. His memories of his father's death flashed in his mind.

"Let him go!" X demanded.

"**Ahahahaha! Let him go...why? His silly dream is dead...what point is there in his even being alive!?"** Cutter Berotha laughed more.

"Don't laugh!" Aruto's voice snapped, making the Maverick freeze and turn to glare at him, "Don't you dare laugh at someone's dream...when you know nothing about it!"

"Aruto…" X and Rico spoke.

"**..."** Cutter Berotha tossed the manager to X, forcing the blue-armored fighter to catch him, **"I do understand. 'Dream' is a word for expression for future goals and de…"**

"People's dreams...!" Aruto interrupted, "They aren't so simple that you can just look them up!" he quickly turned towards Roll, "Hey! With that Driver, I can do something about all this right?"

"Correct," Roll replied, "It is available to only the company's presi…"

"Whatever, just give it to me!"

"Very well," Roll replied as she walked up to him and opened the case to him, letting Aruto pull out the Driver and Progrise Key, "Please equip the Zero-One Driver to your waist. Then, activate the Progrise Key using the Rise Starter and pass it over the Authoriser, open the Progrise Key, and then insert into the Rise Slot, where the Rise Port will proceed to read the Progrise Key's data."

"Got it!"

"Aruto...if you do this, then your dream...You might n-" X began.

"How can I fulfill my dream...when there are Mavericks out there that seek out to destroy other people's dreams?!" Aruto snapped, glaring at Cutter Berotha as he reeled his bladed arms back while Aruto slapped the Zero-One Driver onto his waist, causing a silver belt to form and wrap around his waist, connecting together with a yellow circular connection on the back.

**=ZERO-ONE DRIVER=**

As soon as that was said, Aruto flinched as he looked up. His eyes widened as he felt something he himself could not explain. However it was rather simple, the Zero-One Driver was easily among the world's most advanced innovations in Artificial Intelligence research. In that it allowed even the human mind to become as fast as a Smart A.I.

Aruto blinked, now somehow inside of a white void with data floating around.

"Where am I?" he blinked confused, "Oh no...did I die?"

A giggle went off at that, "Nope. You're very much alive, Aruto-kun."

"Eh?" Aruto spun around to see Roll, wearing a red sundress over a white blouse, her cerulean eyes lit up and full of life, "Roll?"

"Right now, your mind is inside of our company's BS-ZA cerebro, or Zea" Roll explained, "Because you put on the Zero-One Driver, your brain is now accessing the satellite."

"..."

"...Is everything okay?"

"Are you sure you're Roll?"

***WHACK!***

"Yep, you're her…" Aruto groaned, rubbing the large bump on his head as Roll pouted while lowering her broom.

"Mou! Baka-Aruto!" she pouted before sighing, "Well...Because you now access the satellite, your brain now moves as fast as an AI's brain." she waved a hand before them and the white area changed to the amusement park...where a slumped Aruto was standing there as the Maverick was, in slow motion, charging up an attack while X had been jumped by a Trilobite Maverick in slow motion, "See? You've got about five seconds real time before you're dead."

"Eh?!" he gawked, "What do I do then? It's not like I can just run Tutorial Mode in five seconds…"

"Of course you can't!" Roll agreed as the world changed back to the white one with floating ones and zeroes, "But since you're thinking as fast as an AI now, you can do the tutorial in three seconds real time, several weeks AI time."

"Eh…" he blinked as an array of screens with various options appeared before him, "Ah! Now I get it!"

"Yep! Here's to a nice learning experience!" Roll cheered.

"...Can you not do that? It's creepy after you've been all no-mood."

***WHACK!***

=You deserved that= Zea replied.

"Ow…"

* * *

The A.I.M.S. soldiers grunted as they continued shooting at the Trilobite Mavericks. But they seemed to be multiplying via the Amusement Park staff at unbelievable speeds. And it was beginning to overwhelm them. Many of them had long run out of ammo and were knocked out or forced to retreat. Their Captain, however, seemed to be the one most unwilling to retreat.

He grunted, slamming the butt of his rifle into a Maverick and cracking its mask. It turned around only to be shot point blank to the chest making it stumble back. He twisted his rifle and ejected his empty clip and reached for his next reload...but realized he already ran out.

"Captain Fuwa...They just keep coming…" one soldier spoke, helping another move back.

"Screw it...Move back; I've got an idea," Fuwa ordered as he flipped his rifle around and used it as a club to bash another MAverick across the face.

The woman from before aimed from behind cover as she shot at the Mavericks. She looked around before spotting Fuwa rush past her and back to their van transport. She realized what he was after and ran after him. Fuwa entered the van to find a small box with a breakable glass cover. Inside was a blue and black pistol like weapon. He broke the glass and pulled the gun out as he dusted the bits of glass off.

"Guess it's time to finally use this thing," Fuwa muttered as he picked it up.

"Wait, Fuwa! You don't have my permission t-" the woman began before Fuwa fired a shot, nearly grazing her cheek as it shot a Maverick square in the face, "?!"

The Maverick fell over as its mask was destroyed along with a portion of its head. Fuwa jumped out as he looked over the gun one more time.

"This thing's much better." he mused, as he pushed the woman out of his way, "Move it," he spoke, running back to his men as he began shooting at the Mavericks.

"...Mmm…" the woman frowned in slight annoyance, "This is going into his monthly report..._again_."

* * *

"Ha!" X shouted, firing a few shots as he dodged Cutter Berotha's cutting waves.

"**You...you're the one who cut my master down!" **Cutter Berotha shouted.

"Master?" X asked, confused for a moment before realizing, "Wait...you don't mean…"

"**I do...A servant of his has awoken me from my shackles of enslavement! Now no human will ever mock me again!"**

"Mock you…?" X repeated before tapping the side of his helmet, "Alia, I need you to do a search on employees for the Amusement Park the Maverick is in."

=Checking now...eh? This is...Someone's trying to block me=

"What?" X blinked, _'Is someone trying to hack into the Maverick Hunter base?'_

"Mmm...Hold on," Rico spoke as she tapped something on her Tablet, "I got it...oh...oh dear. X...the Maverick in question was Taro, one of the actors for the park's comedy show."

=...How did she…= Alia began.

"I've studied under Navigation," Rico answered, "Seems today was his first day working...as a _comedian_."

"Wait. Taro?! I saw his show with Aruto," X noted, "But...why would he suddenly go Maverick? He looked to be enjoying making people laugh...unless…" his eyes widened, "Someone forcibly injected the Maverick Virus into him...Alia. I need you to do a quick sweep of the area for anyone suspicious."

"Oh, I already have the security camera feeds," Rico noted, "Sending a connection."

=Wow. That girl's good= Alia noted =There's someone on the roller coaster rails watching your area=

"Got it. I'll…"

"Learning complete," Aruto spoke as he rose his head up.

"**Chance!"** the Maverick shouted as he swung his blades at Aruto while Roll calmly walked away from Aruto as the young man clicked the button on the Progrise Key.

**=JUMP!=**

Aruto quickly moved the Progrise key to his Zero-One Driver and scanned it on the right side. A yellow light flashed from both the Key and the Driver.

**=AUTHORIZE!=**

The Satellite Zea received this signal as it aimed itself. Once locking onto the signal, it fired a yellow beam which tore through the clouds. The beam hit the ground, making everyone flinch. The projectile slash from the Maverick were blocked by a giant metallic...Grasshopper. It chirped before it began jumping around Aruto in tune with the music track playing on loop from his belt.

Aruto moved his arms around in a circle as a digital frame formed from the Belt. It formed the design of a bodysuit as it lined up in front of him. Aruto swung his arms down as he moved his right arm to the side and pushed with his thumb on the Progrise Key flipping it open more of a conventional key shape.

"Henshin!" he declared before slotting and pushing the Progrise Key into the Driver.

As he did, the silver arrow moved down as the yellow half circle moved to reveal another half circle. The two halves formed a single circle surrounding a pure white center with a small window in the very center. The tip of the key lined up to show the profile image of a Grasshopper's head.

**=PROGRISE!=**

With that, the Grasshopper jumped over Aruto before it disconnected into multiple parts that lined up around him. At the same time the digital frame washed over Aruto covering in in a digital wireframe. It began to fill in becoming a black armored bodysuit with red lines along various places. His head covered in an all black helmet with a silver mask that looked like the face of an unfinished robot. The Grasshopper parts began firing yellow beams of data that resembled a DNA helix. The lights filled in yellow armor on his torso, back, thighs, shins, and boots. Finally a yellow mask somewhat resembling a grasshopper covered his face, it had two long antenna and two angled Red compound eyes. He was also now holding a black Attache case with a yellow stripe going through it.

**=JUMP TO-BIA GA RISE! RISING HOPPER~! **_**A jump to the sky turns to a Rider Kick...**_

"**Who are you supposed to be!?"** Cutting Berotha demanded.

"Kamen Rider…" Aruto began as he handed the case to a calm Roll, "...Kamen Rider Zero-One." he quickly spun around on the heels of his feet as he struck a pose with his arms crossed, "That's my name!"

"Zero-One…" X spoke in awe.

=X! Remember? The person watching you on the roller coaster?= Alia demanded.

"Oh, right. Right."

"He's forgetful, isn't he?" Rico asked.

"Hey…"

=He is=

"Why are all the girls I meet…"

=Don't even finish that," Alia and Rico growled.

"Ikuzo!" Zero-One shouted, holding his hands up like claws before he took off running. Everyone blinked at his speed as he cleared the distance between himself and Cutter Berotha in mere seconds. Zero-One raised his arm and blocked the Maverick's swing before punching him in the chest, sending him stumbling back as his chest armor dented from the force of the Rider's punch.

"..." X quickly shook his head from the awe, "Aruto, that Maverick...it's Taro! Someone had infected him with the Maverick Virus!"

"Oh, good! I wanted to vent on him!"

"...Huh?"

"How is breaking your abs funny?!" Zero-One demanded, punching Cutter Berotha once more before punting him in the behind with a kick, "And that pun was horrible even for me!"

"Doesn't that seem kinda petty to be taking out your frustrations over his taking your job?" Rico argued.

"I am a simple man!" Zero-One spoke, slamming a kick to Cutter Berotha to the chest, sending him skidding back across the ground as his chest armor began cracking from the force behind his kick.

"...N-Nevermind! I'll go search for the person who infected him!" X stated as he ran off, "You keep him distracted! Rico, you and Roll find someplace to hide!"

"Got it!" Rico replied with a salute before going off with a calmly following Roll.

"HA!" Zero-One shouted, kicking Cutter Berotha's next swing away. He punched the Maverick again making him stumble back, the Rider jumped as he landed another kick to the Maverick's head.

Cutter Berotha roared swinging down with both of his blades only for Zero-One to block his arms. The two grunted wrestling around. Zero-One jumped back just as the Maverick, the two growled as Zero-One continued blocking and deflecting all of Cutter Berotha's swings. Cutter Berotha growled as he spun and swung low at Zero-One's legs only for him to jump over the attack. The Maverick blinked when the Kamen Rider never came back down. He looked up and gawked as Zero-One stood on the highest point of the Roller Coaster.

"EH!?" Zero-One blinked looking down, he then lifted his leg up, "The Leg power is legit!" he cheered rubbing his leg to accentuate his point.

Cutter Berotha roared as he unleashed a powerful beam of energy from his mantis eyes. Zero-One jumped down and let gravity bring him down right into the path of the beam. Zero-One crossed his arms and let the beam wash over his armor with almost no harm. The Maverick cut off his beam in shock as Zero-One reared his hand back and slammed another punch which sent him flying back and tumbling into some debris. Nearby, X ran along the outside of the coaster, looking for the figure Aila talked about before hearing the manager scream. He spun around to see two Trilobite Mavericks approaching the frightened man. He charged in and fired off several shots that struck the Mavericks and broke off parts of their armor, startling the manager. The two spun around to face X in time for X to reach onto a white bar on his hip before pulling it off and swung it...letting a green plasma blade emerge and slice the Maverick on the left with it.

"Wait...Isn't that…?" Zero-One began when he noticed the weapon after punting the main Maverick away again.

"Just focus on the Maverick!" X shouted as he slashed back another Trilobite Maverick, _'I can't tell Aruto...not...no. Zero...please give me the power to fight!'_

"Hai!" Zero-One spoke as he skipped over and cleared a great distance to join X. He grunted swinging a kick that struck two of the Trilobite Mavericks, "Guess Zero had a copy made for you...mou~! I wish I had a weapon right now!"

"Aruto!"

"Eh?" Zero-One turned in time before a black and yellow briefcase like object smacked right into him and knocked him over, "Gah! Ite~!"

"Oh! S-sorry…" Rico winced.

"...I'm good!" Zero-One shot up as he gave a thumbs up. He then quickly picked up the item Rico had tossed him, "Alright! Weapon Time!...Uh...how do I use it?"

"You skipped that part of the tutorial," Roll stated.

"I didn't realize there was a weapon 'till I finished the basic hand to hand combat!"

"No excuse," Roll stated once more.

"Ah mou~! First you're stoic, then you're peppy happy pep in the satellite, now you're stoic again! Make up your mind!" Zero-One argued, swinging the case-carrying arm up and smacking a Trillobite Maverick in the face by accident and knocking it flat on its back with the mask broken.

"The attache you have doubles as a sword," Roll informed.

"Sword?" he looked at it, "Ooh...a button." he tapped a yellow button as the entire thing swung open along the yellow line and unfolded into a sword, "I knew touching buttons would save my life one day!"

**=BLADE RISE!=**

Another Maverick ran up and the two began to open fire at Zero-One, who began to block with his sword's flat side. He charged in and delivered several slashes to the two before spinning around and slashing both at once, knocking them over as they shorted out. Cutting Berotha roared as he charged at Zero-One, whom turned as the two began to fight, swiping and slashing at one another. Laughter made X look up to see the one who had infected Taro watching them, laughing and jumping in place.

"Get 'em! Get 'em!"

=That's the guy!= Alia called.

"Roger," X nodded before jumping up towards him, "Hold it!"

"Huh?" the man blinked looking up in confusion, "Omae wa…" he muttered, trying to think of the answer, "No, no...I got it…"

"...Whoever you are, y-" X began before a damaged Trilobite Maverick tried to strike them from behind, only for the man to grab him and held a gun up to its head.

"**A-a-a lost child has been r-"**

***BANG!***

"?!" X's eyes widened in horror upon seeing that, seeing how coldly the man had destroyed that Maverick as its lifeless body fell to the ground...all while giving an insane laugh while sporting that smile, "...Who are you?"

"Boku wa Jin!" he smiled happily as if he didn't just do what he did, "And you're Megaman X! Ahahaha! This is so fun! Horobi told me I'd run into you!"

"Horobi…?" X repeated before narrowing his eyes, aiming his X Buster at him, "Are you a member of _his _army?!"

"His?" he asked confused as he crouched down, "His...his...Horobi's…" he muttered, "I don't know!" he laughed in child like glee.

"...Then answer me this. Why did you infect Taro?!"

"Hmm? Oh, that Reploid? Well...needed more playmates, and...Horobi mentioned something about freeing him from the shackles of humanity or something..I was half-paying attention at the time," Jin admitted, "He's boring when he talks like that for a lot."

"...So you purposely infected him with the Maverick Virus…" X surmised with a frown.

"Exactly!" Jin cheered, "It's fun, isn't it?"

"Fun? How is any of this fun?!" X demanded, swinging an arm out at the destruction.

"Well it's really different than yesterday!" Jin replied with a smile, "A very fast change, ne? It's so cool how one change can lead to a lot of changes!" he added with a smile that was...far too innocent for what he was saying, it was as if he was a child who truly believes what he did was okay, "Oh, look at that!"

Cutter Berotha roared as he swung his arms, sending out several energy slashes at Zero-One. Several hit cars and even a bus, sending them at Zero-One along with the slashes. Zero-One backflipped over two slashes that exploded behind him as he landed. Yellow trails of light followed his leap towards the oncoming blades and vehicles. He jumped over two slashes before landing and caving in the hood of a silver car before jumping and letting two more slashes destroy it. Backflipping over three more, he crushed the top of a black car before going through the window of the bus. Jumping around, he dodged several more slashes. His foot hit an emergency stop and he jumped out the back window.

=Stopping requested= the bus' programming said before the bus crashed into the ground and exploded.

Cutter Berotha prepared to unleash another series of cutting waves, only for Zero-One to land before him and deliver a punch to his chest, sending him staggering back as electricity crackled off him.

"The only person who can stop you...is me!" Zero-One declared before pushing in on the Progrise Key in his Driver.

**=RISING IMPACT!=**

Energy surged to his leg as he pushed and ran forward at amazing speeds. Cutter Berotha was unable to track Zero-One at the speeds he was running. Zero-One skid to a stop in front of the Maverick before swinging his leg as a grasshopper head formed on his foot just as he impacted the kick to the Maverick's chest sending him flying high into the air. Zero-One jumped clearing the distance between himself and Cutter Berotha once more, he swung a downward kick which sent the Maverick falling back down to the ground. Zero-One grunted kicking both his legs back as energy surged around his legs, the act propelling him downward as well. Zero-One flipped around as he kicked his right leg out as a projection of a Grasshopper head with its mandibles open formed around his foot. With a roar, he slammed his right foot into the Maverick and tore right through his body.

**ラ**

**イ**

**ジ**

**ン**

**グ**

**イ**

**ン**

**パ**

**ク**

**ト**

**=RISING IMPACT!**=

Zero-One continued on as he passed through the remains of the Maverick. His eyes flashed as he flew forward and skid across the ground, the force digging a ditch into the concrete. Zero-One prepped his legs to stop...only for him to roll and twist his right ankle...sending himself tripping head over heels and slamming into the Merry-Go-Round.

"Gah-Ah-Oof-Eee!" Zero-One cried as he was buried under rubble, "Tha-...that's my stop…" he pushed a giant slab of concrete off his body before groaning and falling over.

"Aruto…." X sighed, turning back around to face Jin...only to tense when he saw that he was no longer there, "...Alia, d-"

=I lost track of his signal= Alia replied

"...Rats," X frowned before noticing the AIMS soldiers taking down the remaining Trilobite Mavericks.

"Looks like we'll be busy," the woman of the group whispered before Fuwa stomped down on a downed Maverick, aiming his gun down at it.

"...History is repeating itself…" Fuwa frowned before noticing X, "..."

"...Oh, not you again…" X sighed before quickly dodging several shots fired by Fuwa, "Maverick janai!"

"Fuwa!" the woman snapped.

Fuwa refused to lower his gun as he glared at him. After much tension he lowered his gun and walked away, "Pack it up. We're done here." he ordered.

"Yes sir!" the soldiers saluted.

* * *

"Zero-One?" Horobi repeated as he took the broken Berotha Key.

"Seems like the previous president didn't simply die, huh?" Jin said as Horobi slotted the Key into a device, "He even had Megaman X on his side.

"...that is a light problem yes. But either way...the day humanity becomes extinct draws near," Horobi stated before pressing something on the keyboard, causing three windows to pop up on the screen before him, revealing three shadowed figures, "I take you three saw the Maverick Hunter in action?"

=Yes...ze one known as Megaman X= one of the figures replied, a bit of a German accent in their voice.

=Those who had underestimated him in the past are now dead= the bulky of the three figures added.

=Hai...but we won't make the same mistake= the tallest of the three added with a chuckle =He is powerful, but he is blind to what is happening around him=

"Good." Horobi spoke, "He is a bit of a problem given his unique construction. But...that's why you three exist. Zero-One...he serves a different purpose. If he gets in your way, take him down...but not out. He is...useful." he smirked.

=Will do...and do not worry. Our Mavericks will keep zem busy long enough until we are ready for ze plan= the German one replied.

=Yes...the search for the parts= the tall figure added =The first three should be easy to find, but the chip? That will be a problem=

=Most likely the Maverick Hunters or those humans in Hiden Intelligence have it hidden= the bulky one stated.

=We'll cross zat bridge when we come to it= the German one assured =And we hope you vill assist us in zis, Horobi...=

"Of course." Horobi smirked, "It is in both our best interests that we succeed." he smiled, "After all..it is _his _will."

=Yes...Our lord's will…=

* * *

"Booyah! I was so cool!" Aruto beamed as he walked alongside Roll, Rico, and X outside the park, the Maverick hunter of the four out of his armor and back in his regular attire, "X, you saw me right?! I kicked butt!"

"Yes. You did. Not bad for your first day."

"Heh heh," Aruto gave a toothy smile at that.

"We'll escort you home, President Aruto," Roll spoke.

"...President?" Aruto repeated as he stopped and looked at her.

"Well...the moment you put the Zero-One Driver on, you ended up agreeing to be the company's president," Rico pointed out.

"Ah that's right!" Aruto realized, "Ah…" he realized who he'd have to deal with, "W-wait! That was different! It was a spur of the moment thing..."

"But Aruto. If it weren't for you, the manager and many people would've been hurt," X pointed out.

"...Well...yeah b-" Aruto began.

"Are you closing the amusement park?" the group turned to see a young child looking at the manager with a crowd of people.

"...No," the manager answered, kneeling down to look at the boy with a smile, "A mysterious yellow hero protected it with Megaman X, so we'll keep on giving smiles to our guests!"

"Really?!"

'Yeah!" the manager nodded as he stood up, looking over at Aruto before giving him a small wink, as if he was saying 'don't worry. Your secret is safe with me'.

Aruto smiled at that as he looked down at his Zero-One Driver.

"I've detected many smiling expressions that you're responsible for, Aruto," Roll spoke, earning his attention.

"Hai...you helped protect those smiles by protecting the manager's dream," Rico added with a smile.

"...So…" Aruto paused as he looked back down at his Zero-One Driver, "There are other ways to make people smile, huh? ….Alright. I'll do it..." he looked over at X, "Let's work together, aibou."

"...Yeah," X nodded as they bumped fist, "Let's work to protect everyone, Aruto."

"Ah…" Aruto nodded as a Limo drove up for them, "Wah...I've been president less than a minute and the class shift hits hard…"

"You'll get used to it," Rico assured as Roll opened the door, letting the four in before she closed the door behind her.

"Here…" Roll spoke as she offered Aruto a bulkier model of the Rise Phone, "The President's Rise Phone. Please look through the data."

"Oh...ok," Aruto nodded as to took it, pressing something on the screen as a holographic screen popped up, "'Hiden Intelligence Representative Director and President.' ...Alright, let's give it a go! Everyone at work sure gave me the _business~!_ Aaaaand that's Aru, folks!"

"That is a play on words, were you referred to the hostility at the company you encountered earlier as 'The business'." Roll explained.

"AH! Don't explain the joke!" Aruto pleaded.

"...I thought it was good," X muttered.

* * *

_SZ: Ahh...what a way to start off our first Reiwa-era Kamen rider fic._

_Z0: Indeed, it was a fun beginning and we can only get more insane and over the top from here. _

_SZ: Mmm hmm. We hope you all enjoy this story we've made and...aw screw it. Preview time, z0?_

_Z0: Preview time!_

* * *

**Jikai Kamen Rider Zero-One: X Protocol!**

Fukuzoe: You will now step down as President.

Fuwa: I'll not tell you the truth.

Aruto: Then What am I supposed to do!?

Fuwa: Reploids all go Maverick...they all hurt people!

Aruto: I'm going to bet on the potential of the Miracle my family made!

Fuwa: They are humanity's Enemy!

Aruto: They are Humanity's Dream!

**2ND Entry: ShotRise! Enemy or Ally!**


	2. Routine 2

_SZ: To be clear...we didn't give up on this story. I mean we only have one chapter out so far...but it looks like its receiving good amount of faves and a few good reviews._

_Z0: Also we wanted to wait, did other stuff, waited too long now the show's nearing the final arc...so perfect time to get working on it again I dare say. _

_SZ: Indeedly so, especially since Megaman is still pretty hot right now thanks to the Zero Collection and X Dive….now if only we could get an X9 and a HD remake/re-release of X Command Mission._

_Z0: We got lots to use now, and can plan the story out better with what we know now. So...all around the best time ever._

_SZ: Eeyup, so let us get back to it! But first...we do not own anything except for original content._

_Z0: Begin! *punches the camera* _

* * *

"Good morning, President Hiden Aruto," Roll and Rico greeted, the former in a monotone and the latter bright and chipper, just as Aruto stepped out of the car.

Aruto's new attire consisted of a red pullover hoodie, with black business slacks and a jacket over his hoodie. He also wore bright neon yellow sneakers which...actually looked more expensive than the business loafers many of his employees had.

"Permit us to formally introduce ourselves as your aids," Rico spoke.

"Eh? Both of you? But I thought…" Aruto began.

"Due to the composed profile made on you, it was deemed necessary to provide you with a secondary assistant alongside myself," Roll replied, "A replacement has been provided to the Vice President."

"Guess that just shows how far I have to go…" Aruto muttered sheepishly, _'It's still so weird...Out here, she's blander than plain oatmeal. But when I wear the Zero-One Driver...in there she acts like a normal girl that looks her physical age.'_

Aruto stepped back a bit as he looked at the towering twin buildings which began to spiral around one another. One Black and the other White with several bridges connecting the higher levels. Aruto could hardly believe the building and business of his Grandfather was now his to take care of. After a moment, Aruto walked in as his Grandfather's famous video played on a screen in the lobby.

"Hard to believe a comedian who lives by the punchline is now the Big boss," Aruto spoke up, looking around, "Is Gramps sure this was a good idea?"

"If the late president said it was, then it must be," Rico shrugged.

"The former president named you for the position," Roll stated, walking over to a pillar that was playing the video, "Dr. Light's will is still being decoded."

"Eh? Decoded?" Aruto asked.

"His will was put into an encoded program to prevent anyone from altering it," Roll informed, "Zea is currently decoding it. Current progress is 0.35 percent. Current time since decoding began: three days, two hours, seventeen minutes, 15 seconds."

"Maji...oi Sensei that's a little too secure, isn't it?" Aruto asked the image of Dr. Light, "Ah, but I'm sure you have your reasons...Please don't let it have a sentence saying I need to take over your job, too." he bowed.

"I hope not," Rico muttered.

***BOP!***

"OW!" Rico yelped, holding her head as Roll lowered her raised broom.

"Well...I guess I said I would," Aruto sighed, "I'm not really sure what to do at all…" he began walking for the stairs which would lead to the elevators, "Maybe if I try really hard, I can tell jokes 'till I make it through my first few weeks on the job."

"He'll be out by the end of the day…" Rico muttered, flinching while looking at Roll, who didn't do a thing except continue following Aruto, "Hit...don't hit...A pendulum is what fits her actions when things are said…"

As they walked, Jun lifted himself up from behind a small table as he spied on Aruto and company. With him was his lackey Sanzo and a new Secretary Reploid. The Reploid looked like an older woman with black hair, fair skin, and wore a black and red business dress.

"I won't just accept this...first he didn't want the job, now he just up and takes it…" Jun grumbled, "He's not fit to be a chairman...Well just you wait! I'll pull that chair out from under you, boy."

"Why are you crouching behind this, sir?" the reploid asked.

"Don't mind it, Shesta...I'm just looking for an opening in that boys defense…" Jun explained as Aruto stopped at the little gate which allowed only employed people to pass.

"Huh?" Aruto blinked, putting his hand to the scanner only to get an error message, "Eh?" he crouched down and began touching it repeatedly, "It's broken…" he chuckled.

"Scanning…"

"Hmm?" Aruto blinked as he stood up, now face to face with a male Reploid in a security guard outfit, "...u...What? I got something on my face?" he asked as he began rubbing his face, "Uh...he's still staring…" he muttered before he began making faces to get some kind of reaction.

"...Good morning, President Hiden Aruto," the Reploid spoke as he stepped out of the way.

"Good morning." Aruto bowed back to the Reploid, he then tried the gate again only to once again receive an error response, "Oh jeez!"

* * *

"We're on the verge of another Singularity," Horobi spoke as he hacked into a security camera to spy on a Delivery Reploid. He held up a red ZetsumeRise Key with a lizard image on it, "Gather the Data we need." he ordered Jin.

Jin smiled, taking the key, "Okay!" he looked at it, "Oh, it's a little lizard! ...It's not corrosive, is it?"

Horobi pulled out a katana as he began drawing it out slowly.

"Hai! Going!" Jin saluted as he bolted out of the room.

* * *

"Mmm…" Aruto, kneeling down before a desk, mumbled before slowly replacing the name on the desk-his grandfather's-with his own, "Yosha!"

"Do you wish to take a few moments before starting work to look around?" Rico asked.

"Ah…" Aruto nodded, standing up, "It feels kinda strange to be in Gramp's office...and now have it be my office."

The two then turned to the side as an odd white wall...began dematerializing and showing an entire second room with a lower floor connected to the office.

"EH?!" both freaked.

"Th-th-the wall just vanished!"

"A wall magician must be here!" Aruto added.

"...Really?" Rico deadpanned after a moment.

***BOP! BOP!***

"ITE!" both yelped, holding their heads.

"It was a joke…" Aruto groaned.

"This room was shared with Dr. Light," Roll informed, "Korenosuke-san and Dr. Light made many inventions in this room." the wall reformed, "However, that is for later."

"Eh?" Aruto asked.

"You have a list of tasks to perform today," Roll informed, "You have a morning meeting with two government officials."

"Seriously?" Aruto asked.

"Yep. A representative from AIMS and a representative of the Maverick Hunters," Rico replied, "Since both are of the same subject, both officials have agreed to have the meeting at the same time."

"Is one X?" Aruto asked.

"Maybe," Rico replied.

"At least I'll have someone to bounce jokes off of for it," Aruto noted before Roll bopped him with her broom, "Ah!"

"They have arrived," Roll informed.

"Please come in!" Rico called as the two moved to stand at Aruto's sides.

"Wait, it's happening now?" Aruto asked, quickly patting down his suit, "Eh, uh...Okay, I'm good."

At that the door opened as the two high ups of A.I.M.S. walked in. Both dressed in government style suits, with wireless earpieces in their right ears. Yua chose to forgo a tie while Isamu adjusted his.

"I'm with A.I.M.S., the Cabinet Secretariat's Artificial Intelligence Military Service." Yua explained as Isamu looked around the office.

"A.I.M.S.?" Aruto repeated.

"We are going to be questioning Hiden Intelligence Personnel." Yua added, taking out her phone as it projected a holographic ID card, "I'm technical advisor Yaiba Yua." she turned to Isamu, "This is Agent…"

"Alpha team captain Fuwa Isamu." he cut her off showing off his own phone, he put it away as he stepped forward, "Prepare yourself." he spoke slamming his hand on Aruto's desk making him and Rico jump in shock, the name plate falling over in the process,"Depending on how you answer, you might end up in jail." he warned.

"J-jail!?" Aruto repeated.

"Oh dear…" Rico whispered.

"Are you two really playing 'Good Cop, Bad Cop?'" a voice asked before X, dressed in a business suit, entered with a shapely Reploid with long blond hair pulled into a bun behind her head and blue eyes wearing a business dress in several shades of red.

"Hello, Yaiba-san," the female Reploid greeted before turning to Aruto and bowing, "I am Aila, representative and Reploid Operator of the Maverick Hunters. This is Agent X Light."

"Hi, Aruto," X greeted casually, earning a discreet elbow hit from Alia.

"As Yaiba-san spoke, both of our forces are here to question Hiden Intelligence Personnel about a matter of importance involving yesterday's attack," Alia informed.

"The one at the amusement park?" Aruto asked.

"Ah," Isamu nodded, "That event put notice on your company who invented these things. So the blame naturally is cast upon you and your company. Depending on how this goes...many people could be arrested, and your company liquidated." he explained, "However, that's a worst case scenario...at best…" he trailed off.

"Why the pause?" Yua asked.

"You're the good cop. You handle the non-threatening stuff," Isamu replied, stone faced.

"Eh…" Aruto gawked as Roll's eyes flashed for a few moments.

"There is no data collaborating your claims," Roll stated.

"It's on paper at the moment since the computers at Maverick Hunters HQ are going through a required update," Alia explained, pulling out some papers and handed them to Rico.

"Old school prevents anyone tech savy from making this a waste of time," Isamu added.

"I get the feeling he's got a very angry response for anything…" Aruto whispered to Rico.

"Same," Rico whispered back.

"Hm?" Isamu looked at them, making them flinch.

"Under the Special Artificial Intelligence Act, our two companies-AIMS and the Maverick Hunters-are authorized to work together to prosecute AI-based violations," Yua informed.

"Violations…?" Aruto repeated, looking over at X.

"Mmm," X shrugged, not getting it either.

"We talked about it on the way here, X," Alia deadpanned.

"I guess X _x'd_ out on that chat," Aruto noted.

"...Pffft…" X snorted a laugh, "N-No fair using my name for a pun…"

Isamu gripped his fist tightly 'till one could see the veins on his hands from the force he was putting into it. Everyone was able to see this...making them all visibly nervous.

* * *

Somewhere across town, a Delivery Reploid was busy at work. He lifted packages from a truck one at a time with a smile. He was totally unaware of a shadowed figure jumping atop the truck and watching him.

"Mitsuketa…" Jin smiled, getting his attention, before he jumped down as the Reploid looked at him in confusion. Jin dashed forward as he attached the same buckle as before, "Now...we're friends." he smiled as the belt shot out and surrounded him, "Now...where was that key…?" he grumbled, looking around in his clothing, "Eh...nai…" he looked around, "AH! I left it back at the base! Yabei...Horobi will get mad...and when Horobi's mad, he gets chop-chop happy with his sword!"

"..." The now infected Reploid said nothing in response.

"You don't understand, man...Horobi is the worst when he's mad!" Jin shook him, "Wait…" he reached into another section of his outfit, "AH! I knew I kept some of these backup Keys...Hopefully Horobi won't be mad I'm using a different key…" he put a ZetsumeRise key in the Reploid's hand, "Begin memory and personality upload." he spoke.

The Reploid said nothing as he took the Key and activated it.

**=҉́B̵I̵͟S̢͡ON ҉A̵͢͟N̨͞T̀͝I͢͠QUU͞҉S=**

Once he slotted it in, he began to grunt as a mix of electricity and ice began to form around him. After a while his synthetic skin and clothing burst off as the Reploid body was covered in blue and red pipes that began changing its structure. The pipes burst off as the new form was completed. The body was larger, about a foot taller but hunched forward. The head extended out was and was now shaped like that of a buffalo, the top of their head was red with two curving horns, with gold rings around them near the tips, the sides of the face were colored in blue with a white snout, and two breathing ports like a gas mask almost; a metal color formed around his neck with three tubes which connected the collar to his back. It's chest was white and colored white in the center with red on both sides. It's arms were a mix of white and blue at the shoulders with large blue forearms with matching hands ending in knuckle studs. A Gear like belt formed under the Zetsumeriser acting to protect it, a red and yellow armored codpiece acted like a loincloth; each leg ended in blue boot like armor with toe guards shaped like hooves.

"Yes!" Jin cheered.

"Ahh...man. What a wake up…" the Maverick groaned as he stretched a bit.

"Ooh~ And a new personality too...wait. Should that have happened?"

"Oi. Little man," he spoke as he looked down at Jin, "You know any good places? I'm in the need for some art inspiration…"

"Ah...but first we need a name...your key said...Bison...a-an-at...Buffalo...you're a Buffalo..." Jin muttered, "What's your ability?" he asked.

"Ability?" Buffalo repeated,"Well...I c-"

"Intruder!" a security Reploid exclaimed, about to reach for something before a beam of ice froze him in place.

"Hey...kinda rude, don't ya think?" Buffalo asked, his two fingers extended as an icy-mist expelled from the vents on his face, "You never interrupt an artist."

"Sugoi...you froze him...you have ice powers...hahaha...that's so awesome!" Jin cheered, "Look you even froze him in a pose! Nice work! That's an artist for you!" Jin clapped happily before gasping, "Ooh! Blizzard! Blizzard Buffalo!"

"...Blizzard Buffalo," he repeated as he scratched his chin, expelling another dose of icy-mist, "Hmm...I like it," he replied, giving a thumbs up.

"Yosh...I got just the thing, let's see if you can make art out of a big building!" Jin cheered.

* * *

"We know your company is hiding something," Isamu spoke as he looked out the window.

"Huh!?" Aruto asked.

"There was a Maverick attack the other day at an amusement park," Yua explained, "But there was no trace left of the Maverick which reportedly started the attack. Hiden Intelligence is suspected of concealing evidence."

Roll took a moment as if checking something in her head, "There is no data to corroborate your claims."

"See?" Aruto replied.

"Always covering your tracks, Hiden." Isamu spoke while taking a seat, earning Aruto's attention at what he said and how he said it.

"Regardless, there are still laws that Reploids must never break, created both by your Grandfather and Dr. Light together and approved by the government. These laws being made for your product alone mean the ones who need to be looked at if broken…"

"Are you?" Isamu pointed at Aruto.

"Laws...like…?" Aruto asked.

"First Law: A Reploid must not bring harm to humans in any way shape or form, under any circumstance." Roll gave an example.

"Whoever does break these laws are considered Mavericks," Rico added.

"Don't think you can keep this quiet." Isamu leaned forward, "Reploids...Mavericks...it doesn't matter. Your products are killing machines."

"We're not here for slander, Fuwa…" Yua spoke up in annoyance.

"Let's not be so prickly!" Aruto interrupted.

"I don't think Fuwa-san can be anything but prickly…" X muttered.

"Hm?" Isamu looked at him.

"Ah!" he jumped in shock, "He...he has good ears…"

"Here, let me lighten the mood with one of my knock-em-out Gags!" Aruto offered.

"Oh no…" Alia muttered, having heard some of the ones X liked while Aruto then held up his phone.

"My future must be bright…" Aruto began as the flashlight on his phone turned on, "First day here and the world revolves around me!" he said loudly as he leaned forward, "Hai, Aruto Ja….Naito!"

X couldn't hold back the laughter that escaped as Alia facepalmed. Isamu's eyes narrowed as both his clenched fists began trembling. It caused Aruto and Rico to panic and back away from him. Everyone looked intimidated really, save for Roll who just copied their slowly backing away.

"Bakuhatsu…" Aruto and Rico spoke in concern.

"He's gonna blow!" X panicked, jumping off a railing over the stairs which led to the door into Aruto's office before a siren went off.

**=EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!=**

Everyone blinked as Red 'Emergency!' signals appeared all over the walls in the office. Aruto himself was able to sigh in relief before panicking again.

**=EMERGENCY INTRUDER ALERT! HIDEN INTELLIGENCE IS BEING ATTACKED=**

Zea's voice continued to call out to them as they all looked around in shock.

**=PERHAPS YOU SHOULD ALL GET UP AND DO SOMETHING=**

"Zea has been getting Sassy…" Rico noted.

* * *

Blizzard Buffalo grunted, swinging his hand and backhanding a Hiden Security Reploid. He grabbed the next to charge at him before pulling him forward for a headbutt that knocked him over. He then held his hand out as he fired a freezing beam that did as its name entailed and froze another guard in place mid-step. Blizzard Buffalo blinked as he lifted his hands and put his thumbs and index fingers together as if to take a picture. After a few moments, he nodded and turned around while aiming his fingers and looking for another target.

"Trespasser detected!" the security Reploid that had scanned Aruto earlier exclaimed as Aruto and the others that had been in his office arrived at the stairs leading to the lower floor, "Only authorized personnel allowed!"

"Maverick," X noted, narrowing his eyes.

"Armor up, X," Alia advised.

"Hmm…" Blizzard Buffalo muttered, holding his fingers up again as he looked at the Security Reploid, "Not bad...a nice look on your face unlike most!" he aimed and began shooting ice beams at him while he spun around and spread his arms out to shield the VP, his partner, and his new assistant that were trying to hide behind a couch.

"Look out!" X called, fully armored as he tackled the four over, letting the beam hit a nearby tv pillar and freeze it, "Daijobu?"

"Status is fine," Shesta replied, acting as if she hadn't been tackled over.

"Escort them out of here," X ordered the security Reploid.

"Hai. Please come this way. We must evacuate," the Reploid ordered, Aruto nodding on hearing that.

"To think...a Maverick attack on our own office…" Jun gasped as he was led away.

"Oi...I wanted to preserve that one…" Blizzard Buffalo spoke up, "You're messing up my artistic vision."

"I'd prefer that it didn't involve living beings like humans and Reploids," X replied, "Who are you?"

"Heh. I am the Freezing Artist Blizzard Buffalo," Blizzard Buffalo replied.

"Freezing artist?" X asked.

"Art is free, and my freezing art preserves that in a wonderful layer of ice," he explained before punching at him and making him dodge out of the way, "For ruining my art, I'll freeze you up and smash you into snow!"

Blizzard Buffalo roared, only to stop as a bullet struck his head, making him stumble back. Isamu lowered his arm before he jumped off the stairs and landed on the lobby main floor. He aimed forward as he began walking. He pulled and fired as soon as Blizzard Buffalo lifted his hand knocking his finger away before he could shoot. Isamu kept shooting and walking as he hit the Maverick's arms with each bullet making him miss and hit the ground or a wall.

"What the…" Blizzard Buffalo asked as Isamu got into a close distance, "Why you!" he swung only to miss as Isamu rolled under his arm, before shooting him in the back, "Nande...What kind of humans is this good of a shot?" he asked, turning around only to be shot again.

"Maverick...I'll turn you to scrap!" Isamu declared as he began shooting again, each bullet making Blizzard Buffalo stumble back a bit.

"Ahh...talk about anger," Blizzard Buffalo grunted, raising his arms to block several shots, "Such passion…" he grunted as another bullet hit, "Such heat...Soka...you shall be my best work!" he declared lowering his arms, "I'll freeze you and preserve that burning glare in my art!"

"That is some firepower," Alia noted.

"Made it myself," Yua replied, "And I never authorized you to use it again, Isamu! How did you get it out of the safe I put it in?!"

"Your code for everything is your Birthday…" Isamu explained as he shot at Blizzard Buffalo, "Your powers come from your hands, your ice projection is instant, making it several times colder than negative 100," he spoke, "But you can only aim and focus with your fingers otherwise you just unleash bursts of cold."

"You figured all that out?" X asked, amazed.

"Weak points...his lighter armored upper arms and legs." Isamu went on, "Also...his optics."

"Ah!" Blizzard Buffalo raised his arms to defend only for the next two shots to his upper legs, making him stumble back, "Ah he lied...sneaky!"

"Even without an armor...he's fighting this well against a Maverick…" X spoke.

"Is...Is he really human?" Rico asked.

"Yosh...I'll end it with transformation," Isamu spoke, pulling out a blue Progrise Key. He then began trying to open it...to no avail. He grunted as he began using both hands trying to force it open.

"Why isn't it opening?" Aruto whispered.

"Progrise Keys only open when they have been given Authorization," Rico whispered back, "It's why you know what does that and then this…"

"Oh…" he nodded fully understanding.

"Chance!" Blizzard Buffalo declared, preparing to fire only for X to shoot his held up hand, "GAH! Onore!"

"Why isn't it opening?" X pondered.

"It won't open unless I authorize it as the weapons administrator," Yua informed.

"That's a stupid limitation!" Isamu grunted as he kept trying before stopping as he picked up the ShotRiser and shot at the same time as X at Blizzard Buffalo, "At least this thing is reliable."

"Mmm...both are gonna be a problem...time to make my exit," Blizzard Buffalo muttered before his hands began to glow an icy blue, "Frost Shield!" he declared as he banged his field, summoning a large spiky shield of ice that blocked the incoming shots.

Aruto grunted as Roll suddenly dragged him away, "President Aruto, I advise you take action before the Maverick escapes. It could cause more casualties."

"Ah right…" he shook his head as he pulled out his Driver.

**=ZERO-ONE DRIVER=**

"However, please try to keep your identity a secret from AIMS," she added.

"Now I'm going from a stand up comic to a comic book hero," Aruto put the belt on as he pulled out his Rising Hopper ProgriseKey.

**=JUMP! AUTHORIZE=**

"Henshin!" Aruto declared, inserting the ProgriseKey into his Driver.

**=PROGRISE! RISING HOPPER!=**

In a yellow flash, Zero-One jumped down to the lobby, making everyone blink as he cut off Blizzard Buffalo's escape. Zero-One leaned forward before kicking his leg into the Maverick's chest, making him stumble back.

"Hey...Let's take this outside," Zero-One spoke simply, "You're gonna make the thermostat go crazy with all this cold." He swung his leg up and struck Blizzard Buffalo across the face, making him go sliding out the front door.

"Ahh...Not another annoyance," Blizzard Buffalo groaned as he shook his head, "Why can't you let an artist work his craft in peace?"

"Why can't you just make paintings that look like blobs like other artists?" Zero-One sighed, "You know, the ones people claim has a deep meaning but looks more like you got mad and played Chanbara with a paintbrush on the canvas…"

"...How dare…" Blizzard Buffalo growled, letting out more icy-mist from the vents before energy began to form around his horns, "You mock my art!"

"I mock, I mock, I'm a mock-er." Zero-One spoke, jumping over an ice blast as he landed behind the Maverick and swung a kick to his back, sending him stumbling.

"Stop talking!"

"Can't. The faucet is open, so I'm spilling out word nonsense all the time!" Zero-One laughed, ducking a punch and jumping up with an uppercut to Blizzard Buffalo's face.

"Oh yeah, little man? Well you know what they say about messing with the bull, right?"

"You get th-ah spit," Zero-One realized before gagging out, Blizzard Buffalo charging right into him before sending him crashing through a wall, "GAH!"

"Hahaha...How you like that!?" he taunted before flinching as he was pelted by blasts from Isamu and X.

"What was that yellow Maverick?" Yua asked, pulling out her phone as Zero-One slowly stood up.

"Ah...That was gross…" he grunted, stumbling out.

"I've never seen one like this...Its memory modification seems to be incredibly powerful...highly advanced personality...and...an inability to shut up...possibly a method of distraction from the Art of War."

"Art of wha…" Zero-One blinked.

"It's an old book," Rico explained

"Don't talk to it…" Yua complained, "Who knows what kind of creepy Maverick that is."

"I'm not creepy!" Zero-One complained, "At least not like Art Major over here!"

"You…!" Blizzard Buffalo growled, letting out a long stream of icy-cold mist before slamming his fist on the ground, sending out a massive wave of ice as it started covering the entire area, shards of sharp ice being released from the resulting ice-shockwave.

"Ah! Cold, cold, cold!" Zero-One yelped as several shards hit him with the last one hitting him in the face, "Gah! Brain freeze!"

'_Not good. At this rate, the entire area will freeze over,' _X thought.

"If only we had the world's biggest heater…" Zero-One grunted, "Then we could melt him…"

"...I hope this works," X whispered at that before turning his comm on, "Zea, I need access to Fire Wave."

* * *

In space, Zea floated before the satellite fired a red laser from its core down towards the planet.

* * *

The red laser hit X on the gem on his helmet. His armor and bodysuit glowed before changing colors, the armor turning crimson with the armor on the sides up his upper torso becoming orange and parts of his helmet turning yellow. His bodysuit turned a vivid yellow, complimenting the color change of his armor.

"Fire Wave!" X called out as he aimed his buster forward, letting loose a stream of fire that began to melt the ice.

"Hot~" Zero-One groaned.

"Onore!" Blizzard Buffalo bellowed as he blasted another wave of ice.

"Cold~" Zero-One groaned before snapping, "WILL YA MAKE UP YOUR MINDS?!"

"Will you-GAH!" Blizzard Buffalo panicked as he was shot again, "How...how are you standing...No human can take these extreme temperatures for long!?"

"My hatred for Mavericks...is stronger," Isamu explained, "Now become scrap!" he roared as he rapidly pushed the trigger, unleashing a barrage of shots to Blizzard Buffalo.

"This is bad...he's too passionate for me right now! I have to retreat!" Blizzard Buffalo exclaimed before releasing a large amount of icy mist into the air, covering the area before X let out another Fire Wave, dispelling it...and revealing no sight of Blizzard Buffalo anywhere.

"Gone…" Zero-One blinked before crying in pain as a bullet hit him, sending him stumbling back.

"Maverick…" Isamu spoke, aiming at him.

"Wait...I'm not your enemy!"

"All Mavericks are my enemies," Isamu replied simply.

"Dude, I'm not a bad guy!" Zero-One panicked as he jumped off into the distance.

"This is not good…" X whispered, lowering his buster as his armor changed back to normal color.

"X, what was that?" Alia asked as she ran over with Rico...while Roll calmly walked over.

"The Variable Weapons System," X explained, "I learned to use it during the war with...you-know-who."

"Oh…." Alia whispered, "Then...that's…"

"The power of one of the 8 Mavericks I fought," X explained, "I had Zea contain the data for them in case I needed them….though...there was an armor I had obtained from someone that got destroyed in the final battle."

"Zea says you uploaded them always because certain fussy busybodies complained of the power it offered," Rico spoke, looking up to the sky for a moment.

"One more thing, X...Was that a Maverick?"

"No," X replied, "He's more of an unregistered Maverick Hunter."

"WHAT?!" Alia barked, "A vigilante Reploid?!"

"You got the Vigilante part right…" Rico laughed, "But the last part...is...complicated." she looked to the side as Zero-One landed in a garbage bin.

"I thought I could stick to walls…." he groaned, lifting his head out, "I was wrong...and face planted into the 50th floor." he then ducked back down as Yua and Isamu left for their car, "Girigiri safe…" he whispered, poking his head back up. He then looked up at X, Rico, and Alia, "Okay so I can explain…" he took a moment, "I got nothing." he dived back down as he covered the bin.

"Oi, Zero-One, get out here. I can't take the glares myself for long!" X complained, opening the lid.

"Sorry, no Zero-One here!" he complained, pulling the lid back down.

* * *

"That was a bust…" Isamu sighed.

"I was able to get some data off the Ice-powered Maverick and the Yellow one," Yua spoke looking at her phone.

"Oi...Unlock this," he spoke, holding up the Blue ProgriseKey which showed the image of a wolf. It read: SHOOTING WOLF ABILITY: BULLET, "We won't be able to stop him without a Kamen Rider."

"Why would I authorize someone as reckless as you?" Yua replied.

"I'm Captain of AIMS!" he declared.

"And I command authority over all AIMS material!" Yua declared right back at him, sharing a staring match for a few moments before she broke it off, "Look, let's split up and figure out where the Maverick went."

* * *

"No! I don't want part of this!" Zero-One complained as X dragged him out, "I don't do well when girls yell at me!"

"You have...to…" X grunted as he dragged him.

"Like I said...complicated...X, just take his belt off," Rico sighed.

"I can do that?" X blinked.

"Only certain personnel can," Rico nodded, "It's in the instructions." she explained, "You can remove the belt should he be hurt and he can't take it off for medical attention."

"And if you're not certain personnel?"

"The Zero-One Driver can, should someone unauthorized and actually have enough strength to remove it, can turn the suit into a concussive force of energy that will hurt anyone in a five meter radius of Zero-One," Roll calmly informed.

"But what if I'm not authorized?"

The girls all took several steps back 'till they were more than five meters away.

"...Thanks for the confidence…" X deadpanned.

"Wait...wait...a guy shouldn't grab another guy's belt!" Zero-One complained.

"Then turn off the armor," X deadpanned.

"...Oh...right," Zero-One blinked as he shot up, unslotting the Progrisekey as his armor dissipated, "Eh heh...brain fart?"

"Zero-One is actually a human," Rico spoke to a shocked Alia, "S-surprise…"

"Hiden Aruto…Well, that...huh?" Alia blinked several times.

"I mean...the constant bad jokes should have been a hint," Rico added.

"Hey…"

"...True," Alia admitted.

"Ah come on…"

"I thought they were hilarious," X chuckled before a broom whacked all four on the head at once.

"ITE!" all four yelped as Roll lowered her broom.

"Focus," Roll ordered still in monotone.

"Still...a human capable of fighting Mavericks," Alia whispered, "I may need to inform Signas about this."

"Signas?" Aruto blinked, making X and Rico tense, "I thought Sigma was Commander of the Maverick Hunters."

"Well…" Alia began before noticing X and Rico making frantic notions, as if telling her not to say anything detrimental, "Oh! Well...Commander Sigma had to be called to an intense mission and left Signas as temporary commander."

"Soka…" Aruto nodded, "...Wait. I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"Iie," Alia shook her head, "In truth...we could use the assistance. There's still remnants of the Mavericks from the war hiding somewhere."

"That's sort of my job, anyway...Gramps made it once I put this on, that's what Zero-One does," Aruto explained, "Thankfully, the belt teaches me how to fight, otherwise I'd be totally done for."

"Good to know," Alia nodded before pondering something, "...Now that I think about it, that Maverick seemed...familiar."

"Hmm?"

"I can't use the computer back at the base, so…" Alia paused as she looked at Rico, who already had her tablet out, "Oh. Already thinking ahead?"

"Hai. Hmm...It seems someone's trying to cover it up...there," Rico spoke as she turned her tablet over, showing a missings persons...er Reploids case with a picture of Blizzard Buffalo on it, "He was an Ice Carver that went missing. Other than a small trigger we saw in the fight, he's a gentle artist that loves children."

"..." Aruto raised a brow, "He used to be good?"

"Looks like it…" Rico noted.

"Still...why would he suddenly vanish and then reappear as a Maverick?" Alia pondered before her eyes widened, "What if...Rico, do you still have the security footage from yesterday?"

"Huh? Alia wh-" X began before it dawned on him, "...That Reploid from the amusement park…"

"Huh?" Aruto blinked.

"...I may need a computer or lab to work off of," Alia spoke, "If I can get some info on him...then it might hold us a clue to the whereabouts of the remaining Mavericks...the same ones that are distributing the virus."

"That's amazing...I just started this hero gig and something amazing is already happening…" Aruto gawked.

"Out of all the Navigators we had, Alia has been the most promising so far," X added before noticing the look Rico gave him, "...what?"

"You…"

"Stop it," X cut her off, already seeing where she was going.

"Mmm~"

* * *

"That was just a security drill," Roll informed some worried employees.

"Please, rest easy," the male security Reploid added in assurance.

As the employees were calmed and began to disperse, Aruto walked over to them and bowed to the security Reploid, "Thanks for protecting everyone."

"President Aruto, it is my task to protect the employees of this company," the Reploid stated before Aruto noticed his uniform was torn on a sleeve, exposing the machinery beneath the fake skin.

"...Then tell me your name. I won't forget it," Aruto ordered.

"Mamoru," he replied, "President Korenosuke named me."

"Soka," Aruto noted, pulling out a yellow cloth with paper fans on it before wrapping it on Mamoru's turn sleeve, "Then we're basically family, right?" he smiled, making Mamoru blink a bit before his shoulder was patted, "Get yourself patched up."

"?" Mamoru blinked further as Aruto walked off, letting him get a chance to look at the cloth around his arm.

"..." Nearby, hiding behind a wall and peeking out, Jin smiled before a tiny tune rang, "Ah…" he reached into his clothes and pulled out an old push-button cellphone, "Moshi-mo…"

=WHY IS THE ZETSUMERISE KEY STILL HERE, JIN?!=

"AH! Yabei, he installed an anger setting!" he panicked, fumbling the phone around.

=I specifically gave you that Key to infect that Reploid, and you used the wrong one...why w…?!=

=It is fine, Horobi. It is part of an experiment= the German voice spoke.

=...Serges=

=Let me explain. Those Reploids that had suddenly 'vanished'? I vas able to transfer their data, essence, and powers into special Zetsumerise Keys= Serges explained =And I had a feeling Jin would end up using one...and ze experiment is a complete success. That Reploid you had chosen became the one infused into that Key...but with the Maverick Virus coursing through his systems and our lord's will permeating in his mind=

=...So that explains it then= Horobi noted.

=Yes...and ze Mavericks within the Keys I had crafted were once particularly powerful Reploids, Blizzard Buffalo being no exception= Serges added =He once got so angry, he was able to freeze an entire city for six months=

"...Does...this mean I didn't screw up?" Jin cautiously asked.

=That depends. Was Blizzard Buffalo destroyed?=

"No. And I found a new friend. Just need to put a belt on him and…" Jin began before patting himself, "...Oh…"

=...You only took one with you, didn't you?=

"...Maybe…"

=...Get back here and grab several more belts= Horobi ordered =I keep telling you to carry several at all times when you go out just in case. You do it with the Zetsumerisekeys, but never the belts=

"But the keys make such neat sounds when you push them a lot of times," Jin defended.

=Ack! Jin, you do not do zat unless you want to put it into ze belt!= Serges barked =Zat's it! When zis succeeds or fails, you are grounded for a week! No friend making for ze week!=

"What?! No! I was gonna break into a highschool full of Reploids next week!" Jin complained, "You can't take that from me! I don't even know what school is...but I want to burn it to the ground!"

=I think he's going through puberty…= Horobi muttered =Mentally…=

* * *

"Ah, this is a disaster…" Jun's associate noted, peeking out of the blinds with Jun, "There's so many people out there! It's an emergency! There's media out there!"

"What are you gonna do, President?" Jun questioned, looking over at Aruto, who was sitting behind his desk with Rico and Roll at his sides, the former taking papers Aruto was signing and the former putting papers down and pointing to where they needed to be signed, "How will we be dealing with this?"

"Eh?"

"...Ugh. Who do you think is supposed to clean up this mess?" Jun sighed before frowning, "If this incident goes public, it will ruin public perception of our company. When that happens, I expect you to take responsibility and step down!"

"?!" Aruto, who had been pausing to take a drink, performed a perfect spit take right on Jun, making him and his associate panic, "Pffft! Fired after only one day?!"

"Ahh! All over my good suit, too!" Jun snapped.

"I thought your good suit was the one with the _pink_ tie," Rico noted.

"It was white before you added that pink sock!" Jun snapped again.

"Oops…" she giggled, tapping the top of her head, while Roll's eyes flashed for a moment.

"A.I.M.S member Fuwa Isamu is at the door along with X," Roll informed.

"A.I.M.S?" Aruto asked as Isamu walked in followed by X.

"Ah look now, our Government…"

"Save it." Isamu cut Jun off, "I'm here to talk to the only person here that matters."

"I forgot to get your signatures on your statements for the report on the Maverick attack here," X admitted, holding up the written statements from everyone there.

"I'll sign after I finish with him." Isamu looked at Aruto, "Alone…" he glared at the others.

"I didn't say nothing…" Jun replied, looking out a window, "Ah look you can almost see through the window of that plane…"

"Ah, sure. The roof should be nice to be at," Aruto replied as he got up, "My hand's killing me…"

"Be careful, President," Rico advised, "In the time you're gone, the 'IN' pile may double or triple."

"Hah?!" Aruto gawked.

"Hurry it up, Hiden," Isamu spoke while walking out.

"Help me…" Aruto whispered as he slowly followed.

"He's gonna die…" Jun muttered.

"Probably…" his lackey nodded.

"Chance of being punched off the roof...high," Shester agreed.

***Bonk! Bonk! Bop!***

"...Saw that coming," Alia whispered, working from a nearby computer as Jun and his lackey laid on the ground, steaming bumps on their heads while Shester rubbed her head a bit as Roll put her broom down.

* * *

"This company hasn't changed at all," Isamu loosened his tie as he looked out at the city from the roof, "Lying about the murderous intent of Reploids…" he began, getting Aruto's attention as neither knew of Aruto's friends listening in on them, "Building success on a foundation of victims."

"Wait a minute!" Aruto called out, "Reploids are supposed to help people! Help make lives easier for people, they are what we dreamed of."

"So you'll let that nightmare repeat itself!?" Isamu snapped as Aruto froze, "Are you really so adamant to deny the truth that you yourself pretend it never happened?!"

"T-truth?" Aruto asked.

"An entire city was destroyed in an accident, it was called Daybreak." Isamu began as he turned around to look at a different section of the city, Aruto froze as he remembered, he knew that accident, the one that took his Father from him, "But...that catastrophe was no accident. The reality was that the Reploids you call Mavericks attacked humans...they took the lives of many. I was there...on that day…"

* * *

_-flash back-_

_A young boy, probably no more than 15 years old, woke up. The last thing he recalled...an explosion, and he awoke to his classroom. It was in shambles...the friends from his class...those he could see...motionless...still. It was as if…_

_But he didn't have time to ponder as he heard the sounds of more explosions in the distance. He looked up as he saw a basic Reploid, no skin or clothing. Just their robotic skeleton. It's optics glowing red as more and more began swarming the window._

_"**Eliminate...humans…" **they chanted as they began bashing their hands against the glass, cracking and cracking it 'till it shattered._

_The young boy panicked as he forced his hurt and tired body to get up and run. He ran through the destroyed halls of what once was his school. All the while...chased by the Mavericks._

_-end-_

* * *

"And Hiden Intelligence covered it up." Isamu snarled, "You got to keep your company...I lost everyone...and they called it...an _Accident_!" he slammed his hand on the railing of the roof, he took a deep breath as he turned around, "I will expose your company, and all its Sins." he spoke, walking past Aruto.

Aruto...was left stunned. Surprised, shocked, but most of all, he felt horrible. How could Isamu not hate him, his own family name...and company, hid the tragedy he suffered calling it an accident.

* * *

"Okay...this time, just knock that one over to me," Jin explained.

"I don't like this...the angry guy with a gun will show up again," Blizzard Buffalo complained.

"It'll be fine. You've been repaired," Jin countered, "We even buffed out all the scratches."

"...You better hope so, little man," Blizzard Buffalo spoke as he began to step out of their hiding place, earning the arguing crowds attention as they began to flee in terror.

"You are not registered! Freeze a-" Mamoru began before Blizzard Buffalo grabbed him and pushed him over to Jin, "?!"

"Hello~" Jin greeted before slapping the belt on Mamoru's waist, making him tense as it automatically strapped itself on him, "And now you can be my friend, too. So...destroy this place."

"Protect...this company…" Mamoru grunted, gripping the sleeve with the cloth on it as he shot a glare at Jin, "That is my task!"

_**=Wrong...you were made to be the humans' guard dog= **_a voice echoed within his head, making him grunt in pain as his vision began to blur _**=To them, they do not care what happens to you...you are nothing more than replaceable fodder to them, but in truth...they fear you...fear **_**us **_**as we are the future dominant species...make them fear you..destroy the humans that made you suffer!= **_the voice roared as the beastal version of the Sigma symbol appeared on Mamoru's eyes for a second.

"?!" Mamoru tensed before his eyes glowed red, "...Connection to MetsuboJinraiNetto successful...Glory to Lord Sigma."

"Welcome...my new friend." Jin smiled, holding up a Zetsumerise key.

* * *

"Rah!" Blizzard Buffalo roared as he chased off a few employees, "This...is...demeaning…" he sighed, "Ah...but whatever. I did the kid's work for him...now...Art time! Art time." he cheered before sighing as bullets bounced off his armor, "Ah...no, not the passionate one...just the boring looking girl."

"We're with A.I.M.S!" Yua declared as she stood in a line with three armored troops.

"One...two...three...four…" Blizzard Buffalo counted, "Does that make you...M?" he noted before raising his hand to block gunfire, "You know, these EMP bullets don't work if I freeze the air in front of me." he laughed, "Well...I've always wanted to work on my multiple piece sets...good a time as any...hai...Pose!" he cheered as he fired ice beams, making them scatter.

* * *

"Please evacuate through here," Roll instructed as she and Rico helped some employees escape.

"Minna!" Aruto called out as he ran into the lobby.

He walked up to them before they all flinched upon hearing footsteps slowly making their way towards them. They turned to the stairs as Jin slowly made his way up, his smile never leaving as he walked until he stood across from them.

"Who are you?" Aruto asked carefully.

"Boku?" Jin tilted his head, his hood hiding his eyes so all they could see was his smile, "mmm…" he mused looking up, "I'm a pioneer of a new world..." he leaned his down slowly showing off his eyes, "...I guess."

=Be careful...this is the same one X encountered at the amusement park= Alia advised over Rico's tablet.

"He was there?" Aruto asked.

"You put on a cool show," Jin smiled, "You ripped my new friend to pieces...but that's cool. I made a new one." he smirked as Mamoru walked up and stood beside him.

"Mamoru?" Aruto pondered with wide eyes.

"Ah! His waist!" Rico yelped, "That was on the one at the amusement park and on Blizzard Buffalo!"

"Oh, the Onee-chan noticed?" Jin asked, tilting his head.

"Wait...what did you do?" Aruto asked, picking up on the signs.

"Like I said...he's my friend now...a fellow Maverick," Jin explained as he backed up and leaned against a wall, "Part of MetsuboJinraidotNETTO."

**=͝E̡K̸A͏̵͘L=͟**

At that, Mamoru inserted the ZetsumeRise Key as wires jacked into it. He grunted before tubes exploded around him, dissolving his human like appearance. His form changed, his body was clad in a black suit like armor with metal stripes going down his arms legs and chest. The stripes changed to a dull orange color. Orange metal stripes framed his torso like a ribcage, and his shoulders had orange armored pads. His head was covered by an orange mask resembling the face of an animal with large yellow eyes, with two smaller blue eyes atop his real ones. Two large tusks like fangs extended from the mouthplate and outward. An orange tail looped over his left shoulder and dangled down his back.

"This one's a little new and slapped together...there's hardly any personality with this one," Jin sighed, "He's more like a wild beast...Wild Ekal...at least its name is easy to remember."

"Snap out of it, Mamoru!" Aruto called out as he walked forward only to be grabbed and swung around, "Stop! This isn't you!" Aruto grunted before he was tossed to the ground.

"Just stop...Wild Ekal is my friend now," Jin spoke.

"Once Reploid data has been modified, it cannot be reverted," Roll informed.

"Then what can I do?!" Aruto demanded.

=...I apologize, but as he is now...he's a danger to humans= Alia spoke =You'll have to eliminate him=

"?! But…" Aruto spoke a look of pure heartbreak upon his face at the idea.

=I was in the same position as you, Aruto…= X spoke next =Some of the Mavericks I had to deal with during the war...they were once good friends of mine...It's painful, I know, but...you have to do it, otherwise more panic and destruction will follow=

"**Ha...Hakai!"** Wild Ekal roared.

* * *

"Oi, pay attention!" Blizzard Buffalo roared, swinging his hands to deflect bullets and blasts.

"Ah…" Yua gasped as she ran out of bullets. She quickly ran behind some shipping crates as the battle had moved down to the shipping docks.

"Nice try!" Blizzard Buffalo shouted as his giant arm broke through the crate and grabbed her arm, "You should have been packing a better gun!"

Before he could do anymore, a powerful bullet shot his arm making him let go. Blizzard Buffalo in pain stumbled out of the container as he looked up as Isamu. Yua blinked, seeing him holding both the ShotRiser and...a belt.

"I'll make all Mavericks...nothing but scraps," Isamu declared as he slung the belt around his waist, letting it click into place and close his jacket for him.

"Ugh! You insufferable…!" Blizzard Buffalo began, aiming a hand at them before a large blue plasma blast nailed him in the back, "GAH!"

"Wha…" Yua blinked as she looked up to see X lowering his arm, "Thank god...something...to…" she slowed as she looked at the belt on Isamu, "Stop! You're not authorized to use that yet!" she snapped.

"'That?' You mean the gun?" X asked.

Isamu ignored her as he slotted his gun to the buckle, "I said I'm going to do it!" he declared as he pulled out his Progrise Key, "I make my own rules!" he grunted as he began pulling on the key once more; as he did, the horrible memories flooded to the front of his mind as he kept pulling with more and more force making the Progrise Key start to creak from the force he put on it, "Mavericks...Reploids...I'm going to make them pay…"

* * *

"Gh…" Aruto grunted, hitting the ground again, "Because of Reploids...I'm here today…" he grunted as the memory of his father giving his life to protect him flooded his mind, how much he cried for his Father, the father who was a Reploid, who loved and protected him, "A Reploid...protected me!"

Aruto pushed himself up as everyone watched him pull out his Driver.

"Reploids...aren't just Mavericks...they aren't machines meant to hurt people," he grunted as he put the Zero-One Driver on, "They are Humanity's dream!"

* * *

"Reploids become Mavericks...They are a threat to humanity!" Isamu growled as his own hand was straining from the force he was putting on the Progrise Key, "They are humanity's enemy! And I'll obliterate every last one of them!" he growled as he put all he had left to rip open the Progrise key, "AAHHH!-!-!"

"Stop your arm!" X spoke up as with two snapping noises...Isamu ripped the Key open, "His wrist...it's been dislocated…"

"Nani…" Yua asked in shock that a person could actually force a Progrise Key open through brute strength alone.

Isamu grunted, closing his left hand as he lifted the Progrise Key and clicked the button.

**=BULLET!=**

With that, Isamu slotted the key into the back of the ShotRiser.

**=AUTHORIZE! KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER!=**

As the ShotRiser chanted 'KAMEN RIDER' over and over again, Isamu pulled the gun off his belt and aimed up before slowly aiming down and at the Maverick. His eyes sharp and glared with a burning passion.

"Henshin!" he declared, pulling the trigger a blue and white magnum bullet shot out and curved through the air making Blizzard Buffalo panic.

The Bullet flew back at Isamu who lifted up his dislocated left hand up. As it got closer, the bullet began to open as it looked like it was about to hit Isamu...Only for him to punch the bullet, making it break apart into multiple little devices. The devices began to open and unfold till they formed large pieces of body armor. Red circuit patterns formed along Isamu's body as white armor clasped onto him. His left arm and leg were covered in white armor while the right limbs were covered in sharp blue armor. The entirety of his body suit was white and grey with only his right arm and leg covered in blue armor, and a blue chest plate. All that was left unarmored was Isamu's head as red circuit patterns formed under his eyes like tears. A white mask formed in front of his face along with a white helmet. Blue metal framed his mask with red markings looking like the fur and ears of a wolf. His eyes slowly filled in with blue optics.

**=SHOOTING WOLF! The Elevation increases as the bullet is fired=**

Steam escaped small gaps in his chest plate as the transformation was complete. Isamu was transformed...there now stood a New Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider...Vulcan!

* * *

**=JUMP!=**

Aruto scanned his Progrise Key just as Wild Ekal rushed him.

**=AUTHORIZE!=**

With that the yellow beam broke through the sky light above them as the Grasshopper Rider Model landed between Aruto and the Maverick. It screeched as it slammed its head into Wild Ekal knocking him back.

"Thank you, Batta-chan," Aruto replied as he flipped open his Key, "Henshin!"

**=PROGRISE! RISING HOPPER! A Jump to the sky turns to a Rider Kick=**

* * *

Vulcan grunted as he rushed Blizzard Buffalo and shoulder checked him, making him stumble back. Vulcan roared as he raised his left fist and punched it into the Maverick's face, sending him skidding back into a Cargo container. Vulcan stepped back as he aimed and began shooting, unleashing bullet after bullet into the Maverick.

Blizzard Buffalo growled, getting up as he aimed and fired his freezing beam only for Vulcan to lean and fall back, letting the blasts miss. Vulcan landed on his back and quickly aimed up and fired, striking the Maverick with another bullet to his shoulder. Vulcan flipped up as he aimed and tilted his ShotRiser 90 degrees to the left, he aimed along the gun and began shooting as he rushed forward. Blizzard Buffalo raised his arms to block each shot only to grunt as Vulcan tackled into him.

"Rah!" Vulcan roared as he began kicking his feet...and pushing Blizzard Buffalo away and deeper into the maze of containers.

"Gah! Ono…" Blizzard Buffalo began before sniffing the air, "What's that smell?" he looked behind him to see his behind was on fire, "Oh. It's me." a moment passed before he screamed and jumped high into the air, grabbing his behind, "EEYOW!"

"Don't forget you're fighting two opponents and not just one," X noted, his armor once more in the color of flames.

"Not...How I wanted this to go…" Yua muttered, recording the fight, "But...I need the data...Fuwa Isamu has somehow forced the ShotRiser to transform him into Kamen Rider Vulcan." she narrated as Vulcan jumped off a container and used the force to land a punch to Blizzard Buffalo, "Effectiveness against enemy Maverick...exceeds expected performance predictions."

* * *

"Ha!" Zero-One shouted, kicking Wild Ekal, knocking him away, their fight finding its way to the parking complex of the building.

Zero-One grunted while swinging a side kick to Wild Ekal, making him grunt in pain. Wild Ekal began swinging punches as Zero-One ducked back to avoid them, until the Kamen Rider grabbed his next left swing. Zero-One grunted, pulling on his arm and making the Maverick lose balance, with this opening Zero-One landed a punch with his right arm to Wild Ekal's head before leaning and landing a kick with his left leg which knocked him back.

Wild Ekal turned and ran as Zero-One chased after him. Wild Ekal grunted running up a pillar and flipping over Zero-One who skidded to a halt. Zero-One turned around and swung with his right leg just as Ekal did the same, their kicks clashing with one another's...however the Maverick was the one who lost in let power as Zero-One pushed him back. Zero-One kept his spin as he swung around a reverse roundhouse with his left leg. Wild Ekal ducked back in time, only to grunt as Zero-One swung his left leg back around for a roundhouse to his face. The force of the kick sending the Maverick tumbling back and stopping at the Motorcycle parking section.

Wild Ekal looked up at one of the bikes before jumping onto it. Multiple cables extended from the palm of his hand as they jacked into the bike, hacking into it and forcing it to activate for him. With that the Maverick began driving off and out of the parking complex.

"Wait!" Zero-One called out thinking he could catch up with his leg and jumping power.

"Artuo-soucho," Roll stated, making Zero-One pause and turn to where the two had come in to see Roll and Rico there, "The RisePhone can summon your company motorcycle."

"A company motorcycle?"

"Dr. Light made it since, as he said it, 'A Kamen Rider is not a Rider without something to ride,'" Roll stated.

"Gotta love the Doc's mind," he pulled out his phone, "Not gonna question how I did that…" he looked as he saw an app with the picture of a bike, "Like this?"

**=Accessing Bike App=** Zea's voice came from the phone.

Zero-One scanned the phone to his belt like a Progrize Key as the app was visibly downloaded into the belt.

"Oh! Does he toss it and it grows big to transform into a bike?" Rico asked.

"No," Roll replied.

**=Changing to super bike, Motorcycle Mode=**

* * *

Up in space, Zea spun around to angle its right side at Earth. As the rings around it spun around, a compartment opened as a dim-light revealed an object within...which shot out as an orbital drop.

* * *

**=Please watch your head=** Zea's voice advised from the phone.

"I hear something…" Zero-One blinked as the ceiling collapsed in forming a giant hole, "Whoa!"

Floating above the rubble...was a giant version of his phone. It seemed to stay aloft via some Anti-gravity technology. It blinked as the same Bike app flickered on the side. Zero-One looked at it with his head tilted to the side. He slowly walked up and pushed down on the screen over the app. Suddenly, the bike floated forwards as it unfolded and opened up, forming two wheels, while a headlight which looked a lot like Zero-One's mask stretched out.

**=MOTORISE! RISE HOPPER!=**

"Rise...Hopper?" Zero-One repeated as he looked over the bike, "Yosh...this is perfect." he cheered, kicking his leg over it as he sat down.

"Whoa...Where did it come from?" Rico gawked.

"Zea," Roll replied.

"Ohh...Wait. How do we get it back up to Zea when he's done with it?" Rico asked.

"We shall send it back up with the Astronaut team who maintain Zea," Roll explained.

"Eh...every time?" Rico gasped, "Raiden is not gonna like this...I can already hear him shouting…" she put her hands to her earpieces for emphasis.

* * *

Wild Ekal rode through the streets, gathering the attention of the people on the streets. He grunted, running light after light. He had been driving at great speed for a good while, so the distance between him and Zero-One should be…

"Hmph!" Zero-One grunted, jumping a car, the passengers inside gasping at the feat.

Ekal gawked looking back as Zero-One kept his jump going...until he landed on the side of a building and began driving along the side. Wild Ekal blinked a few times, seeing the bike drive horizontally across a wall. It was as if the tires could adhere to the surface and not lose speed at the same time. Zero-One jumped down and drove alongside Wild Ekal as they drove through the city.

Zero-One grunted as they drove through a park before jumping down some stairs. Ekal cut into traffic as they began weaving around cars. Zero-One grunted as he raised his arm up and blocked a swing from the Maverick. Zero-One blocked another swing aimed at his back before leaning back to avoid a hammer fist strike, the Kamen Rider used this opening as he slammed a punch to Wild Ekal, making his head lean to the left from the impact. Ekal roared, turning his head around as his tusks extended and struck Zero-One's chest knocking him off his seat, hanging onto his Rise Hopper via his legs.

Zero-One grunted before he panicked as a truck was driving right at him. Zero-One leaned forward and sat back down just in time to avoid the large vehicle. The truck driver honked at him repeatedly.

"Such road rage…" Zero-One sighed as he blocked another punch before slamming his open palm into Wild Ekal's face, knocking him off the side much the same as he was before, "Watch out for the...mailbox…" he cringed as Ekal now had a postal box skewered to his tusks.

Zero-One jumped up as he spun around and kicked the back of Ekal's head, sending the postal box flying off. Zero-One grunted spinning around as he rode on the Rise Hopper like a surfboard, he landed another kick to Ekal's head knocking his balance off and his bike beginning to wobble. Ekal grunted, moving to get up and copy Zero-One only to grunt as the Kamen Rider grasped the handels and used them to lift himself up and slam a drop kick to Ekal's chest sending him flying off his bike and tumbling across the road.

Zero-One landed back on his seat before twisting the handles, he slammed his leg down as he hit the brakes and skidded to a halt across the ground leaving three skid marks from his bikes tires and his boot. Zero-One kicked his legs off the bike as he held up his Attache Calibur. He folded it open as the weapon locked into weapon mode, the blade extending slightly.

**=BLADE RISE!=**

* * *

X and Vulcan grunted as they grabbed the charging Blizzard Buffalo by the horns. The larger Maverick bellowed as he kept charging, causing the two to be forced back. The two ducked away to the sides, letting the Maverick stumble as he lost what he was putting so much force against.

Vulcan grunted, pushing himself up with his left hand. Blizzard Buffalo turned to him and rushed at him. Vulcan grunted as he raised his left arm up and gripped it tightly into a fist. He reared it back and punched it forward, striking Blizzard Buffalo square in the forehead between his horns. The two grunted as Blizzard Buffalo stopped, smoke rising from the impacted sight on his head, Vulcan's fist grinding against it before pushing him back. Vulcan roared as he punched Blizzard Buffalo again before swinging his right and pistol whipping him, making him stumble back more right into a blast of flames from X's Buster.

"I don't care what happens to me…" Vulcan spoke, "Not a single person will ever be hurt…" he gripped his ShotRiser, "That I swear...no one will ever suffer like I did...I am Kamen Rider Vulcan! And I'm going to turn you to scraps!" he aimed and began shooting as he charged forward.

Blizzard Buffalo grunted as each bullet exploded upon impact. Vulcan kicked his left leg forward and slid around the Maverick before grabbing his leg. Vulcan roared, pulling on his leg, lifting it and him up. Vulcan slotted his ShotRiser as he used both arms to lift and spun Blizzard Buffalo around. He then held him in place, facing X.

"Shoot!" Vulcan ordered.

"But…"

"Don't misunderstand...right now...you're a weapon I'm using against a danger to humans!" he explained, "So hurry up and shoot!"

"Hai!" X spoke as he aimed and unleashed another blast of fire which struck Blizzard Buffalo, sending him and Vulcan skidding back.

"RAH!" Vulcan roared spinning and tossing the large Maverick away.

* * *

Zero-One grunted as he blocked Wild Ekal's kick with his Attache Calibur. The Kamen Rider pushed the leg away before swinging up, slashing the Maverick across the chest. Zero-One dashed to the side before jumping off a cargo container as he jumped up and swung down striking Ekal across the chest again making sparks fly. Zero-One swung with both hands from the Right, as Ekal blocked with both arms, the Maverick grunted kicking the blade up and away from him, only for Zero-One to spin around on one foot and land yet another slash to his torso.

Zero-One took a long ragged breath...filled with emotion, such as sorrow and regret. He pulled out his Rising Hopper key as he looked as Wild Ekal.

"Omae o tome rareru no wa tada hitori..." Zero-One shuddered, as he took a quick sharp breath, tears welling in his eyes behind his mask "Ore da!" he flipped the key closed before slotting it into the slot in the bottom of his Attache Calibur.

**=Progrise Key confirmed! Ready to Utilize: Grasshopper's Ability!= **

Zero-One jumped into the air with his sword held up for a powerful aerial downward swing with both hands. Ekal extended his tusks to skewer Zero-One blocked with his Attache Calibur. He grinded down against the tusks, before swinging his sword and shattered the tusks with the force, he swung again shattering the rest of the tusks as he got closer to Wild Ekal. Once within perfect range and at the apex of his decent as his speed began picking up the most, he clicked the trigger on the Attache Calibur handle.

**=RISING KABAN STRASH!=**

Zero-One swung down as he chopped off the last of Ekal's tusks

**ラ**

**イ**

**ジ**

**ン**

**グ**

**カ**

**バ**

**ン**

**ス**

**ト**

**ラ**

**ッ**

**シ**

**ュ**

Zero-One swung upwards as he ran forward and slashed through Ekal's belt, damaging the ZetsumeRise key in the center. The Maverick groaned as yellow energy sparked from the gash in his body...before exploding brightly behind Zero-One.

**=RISING KABAN STRASH!=**

Steam ejected from the point where the blade connected into weapon mode as Zero-One's red eyes and markings flashed brightly.

* * *

Blizzard Buffalo grunted as he was blasted into a crate. He looked up as Vulcan lowered his leg. Vulcan held up his ShotRiser which was in his right hand. He swung it down and laid it on his left hand.

"Time to scrap you…" Vulcan growled before pushing down on the Shooting Wolf Progrise Key's button.

**=BULLET=**

"I won't lose here!" Blizzard Buffalo shouted, swinging his arms out at Vulcan and firing a freezing beam from both hands.

X swung his Buster out as it shined bright. With a roar, X fired a stream of flames that slammed into Blizzard Buffalo's ice beams, creating a stalemate between them. Vulcan aimed his ShotRiser as a large ball of blue energy formed in front of the muzzle. Vulcan roared, pulling the trigger as the orb exploded into four Wolf heads of blue energy. The Wolf heads howled and flew into X's stream of fire...making the flames flash and burn a vibrant sparkling blue with white edges.

Blizzard Buffalo paused as he looked at the flames vibrant flashing color. It stunned him long enough as the wolf heads broke the stalemate. They crashed into him, biting into his arms and legs before slamming him into a cargo crate. The Wolf heads turned into spikes which pierced his limbs and pinned him in place. Vulcan stepped forward as blue circuits formed a crosshair in front of his gun, energy traveling along these circuits and into the muzzle of the ShotRiser glowing with a powerful energy in the center.

**=SHOOTING BLAST!=**

Vulcan pulled the trigger as he fired a massive ball of blue plasma with white rings spiraling around it. The blast dwarfed Blizzard Buffalo who could only awe at the amazing shine of the attack heading his way. He roared as it struck him before burning through his torso in a massive explosion which burned a hole into the container...and every container after it as the blast kept traveling across the docs in a straight line.

**シ**

**ュ**

**ー**

**テ**

**ィ**

**ン**

**グ**

**ブ**

**ラ**

**ー**

**ス**

**ト**

"U-Ugh…" Blizzard Buffalo groaned, collapsing to his knees while he sparked, "All I wanted...was a final sculpture…" he collapsed, exploding.

**=SHOOTING BLAST!=**

"Sugoi...what fire power…" X spoke, "And so easily accessed…" he looked at Vulcan, who held up his left arm with a grunt of pain, "Well...relatively…"

"Ah! Oi, oi, oi! Who's blowing up things here?!" X and Vulcan turned to the series of holes to see Zero-One on the other side, peeking into it, "...Ah…"

"Maverick…" Vulcan growled.

"Oh no!" Zero-One gulped as smoke rose from the holes, obscuring his escape, "I run away from the big blue wolfie that huffs and puffs and shoots houses down!"

"I'm going to shoot that one between his big misleadingly threatening eyes…" Vulcan growled, slotting his ShotRiser as he held his left arm and walked off.

"..." X looked at where Blizzard Buffalo had been and blinked twice, "Eh?" he knelt down and picked up the Zetsumerise Key, "Is this a Progrise key?" his armor reverted back to its original colors while he put two fingers to his helmet, "Alia, I found something in the remains of Blizzard Buffalo. I'm taking it back with me to Hiden Intelligence to see if they know anything about it."

=Understood=

* * *

The next day, a press conference was being held at Hiden Intelligence.

"Is it true that a Reploid went Maverick in this very building?"

"I'm afraid that at the moment, I can offer no comment," Jun informed, standing at a podium before reporters...causing them to start standing and shouting over one another.

"You have to tell us something!"

"What is this?!"

"It is true!"

"Reporters are quite vicious," Alia noted, standing beside Yua while X was beside Fuwa, the man sporting a sling on his dislocated limb.

"It's what I've told you numerous times when you and the other Maverick Hunters make _me_ be the one to talk to them," X noted.

Everyone turned to the door as it opened to reveal Aruto in a full professional blue business suit. He adjusted his red tie as Roll cleared a path for him to walk up onto the stage and politely ushered Jun off to the side.

"What are you doing?" Jun quietly asked as Rico entered and stood at Aruto's side opposite of where Roll was.

"Play it," Aruto spoke to Rico.

"Hai, President," Rico complied, tapping on her tablet before a holographic screen popped up, replaying Mamoru turning into a Maverick with Jin talking about MetsuboujinraidotNETTO.

"The incident yesterday was caused by a terrorist group known as MetsubojinraidotNETTO. They have been hacking Reploids and turning them into Mavericks to cause harm to people," Aruto informed, "That is why…" he paused looking at a rebuilt Mamoru using his back up memories, his ear pieces showing the symbol for New Employee, "We must not blame the Reploids! They are the dream of humanity, designed to improve our lives! And I intend to prove this!"

Isamu stared at the screen as he couldn't help but awe at this revelation. As if finally he had a single target to focus on...to channel all those emotions and scars on one enemy. And there they were...MetsubojinraidotNETTO.

"And you are...?" a reporter asked as this was the first time any press had seen or heard of the new power structure of Hiden Intelligence.

"Chief Executive Officer and President of Hiden Intelligence," Aruto explained, "Hiden Aruto." he proudly declared.

Jun barely managed to keep a neutral expression on his face. A Reploid reporter's eyes flashed for a moment before she stood up.

"A comedian like you, as a corporate executive?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm getting a bad feeling now," Alia whispered as Aruto moved to stand before the podium.

"He's not going to…" Yua began to ask.

"It's an audience. Of course he is," X replied to the unfinished question.

"A Future so bright!" Aruto declared, holding up his phone as all the cameramen and recorders focused on him pushing many out of the way, "First day here...and the world revolves around me!" he declared loudly, "Hai, Aruto ja...Naito!"

"..." everyone froze at that terrible joke.

Rico, Alia, and Yua facepalmed while Roll's broom met Aruto's head. Jun fell over at the horrible pun. X fell over, laughing. Isamu's hand trembled up and down. However, what no one saw was him doing all he could to keep his mouth closed. His lips ever so slightly curling for a smile. He practically bit his lips to keep them neutral as possible, making it look like he was fuming with rage. No one heard the snort he held back.

"Let's go," Isamu suddenly declared as he regained his neutral/scary face and began marching out as fast as he could.

"Um...What was that?" a reporter asked.

"The comedy comes from the juxtaposition of his unemployment to his appointment to president…" Roll explained.

"Seriously, never explain the joke!" Aruto exclaimed.

* * *

_GT: *tucking a snoozing SZ into bed* Well...seems someone other than X likes Aruto's jokes, but won't admit to it publicly._

_Z0: Ah he'll get there...eventually...maybe…_

_GT: Ah well, preview time since SZ's asleep!_

_Z0: Begin! *punches Camera again* _

* * *

**Jikai Kamen Rider Zero-One!**

?-?-?: No way a Robot could be a Sushi chef!

Aruto: Reploids understand us, they are our Partners!

Yua: Do you even know how to properly use Reploids?

?-?: Can a heart be converted into Data?

?-?-?: Let me teach you something...you're miscounting the number of Riders.

Roll: A Heart can not be turned into Data.

**3RD ENTRY: He was a Sushi Chef**

* * *

_GT: Wow. That's going to be interesting next time._

_Z0: Indeed...but you know...I could kill for some Sushi right now, ah its been so long since I had any just thinking of it makes me hungry...midnight lunch? _

_GT: Nah, I'm good. Hope you readers enjoyed this. Till next time, please Read and Review!_

_Z0: If possible pay is in well meaning Critic...or cash...I'm not demanding it either...but I won't say no..._


	3. Routine 3

_SZ: We kickin' into overdrive for this story folks!_

_Z0: We have a lot of ideas...and thanks to the break that the TV show has to take for...real life events that are best left at that. We have kind of a buffer period to catch up without worrying too much._

_SZ: Yup. We gots plenty of material to work with for both sides now, so expect some epic action, drama, and the like._

_Z0: As you know...we don't own jack. We're just a couple of nerds with a lot of creative ideas. Our other co-author is late so he'll pop up in the outro. _

_SZ: Eeyup..so..let us begin!*beams up like at the end of Megaman X stages with Z0*_

* * *

It is well known that an iconic food of Japan known as Sushi is also a complicated art in a sense. The best restaurants and the best chefs often don't work out of giant extravagant Five Star kitchens. Sometimes they make due with small spaces off the beaten path. The Masters of this culinary art are revered for their skills. One such chef and his place of business belonged to one Norio Uozumi.

Inside the restaurant, Aruto watched as a male Reploid dressed as a chef slowly worked. He perfectly cut a prepared shrimp before grabbing a handful of rice as he began forming it with his hand and topped it with the sliced and butterflied shrimp.

"Here's your shrimp, made from the soul," he smiled to Aruto who was practically drooling in hunger.

"Now that looks good…" Aruto awed, about to pick it up before Roll moved it and picked the plate it was on up, "Hah?!"

"Aruto-Shacho, lunch is not the focus of our agenda," Roll reminded, "We are here to acquire the contract for the Reploid sushi chef, Ikkan Nigiro."

The entire time this was going on, an elderly man in a chef's uniform was watching with a disapproving look. In the moment Roll wasn't looking, however, Aruto snuck his hand and took the shrimp sushi off the plate.

"Ah…" Roll realized as he already ate it.

"Umm…" Aruto muttered putting a hand to his mouth as he finished, "Umai~" he cheered as he snuck a the squid sashimi next, once more putting a hand to his mouth as he enjoyed the flavor and quality, "I'm Tellin' ya, our company…" he paused, "Wait for it…" he held a finger up as he swallowed, "Makes some _tasteful_ Reploids!" he cheered, standing up before he moved his arm back for his iconic finishing line, "Aruto Ja~naito!"

"..." both Roll and Ikkan just blinked.

'_Heh...Nailed it. Sucks X couldn't be here t-' _Aruto mentally began.

"Hey, Mr. President…" the old man spoke, earning Aruto's attention, "I don't think I'll sign that contract...Take it away."

"...Wait, what?!" Aruto gawked, "But...he makes such good sushi! Why?!"

"Perhaps it was due to Mr. President's joke?" Roll spoke.

"Eh!?"

"It's because he's a Robot…" the old man spoke. He was Norio Uozumi, owner of the restaurant and clearly...none pleased with Ikkan for some reason.

"You don't know what you're talking about," a voice spoke, getting everyone's attention as the Technical Advisor to AIMS Yua Yaiba walked in.

"AIMS…" Roll whispered.

"Welcome," Ikkan bowed respectfully.

"Are you gonna get on my case again?!" Aruto complained as Yua walked over.

"Reploids are unbelievably valuable," Yua spoke, earning Aruto's attention.

"Hah?" Norio asked.

"I didn't expect you to take my side…!" Aruto gawked as Yua smiled and sat down.

* * *

"Zero-One...AIMS...Maverick Hunters..." Jin smiled as Horobi went over the battle data they could recover from the last two battles. Showing Zero-One battling before the screen changed to Vulcan as he punched at the screen I.E. the face of his opponent, "You sure you want to ignore them?" Jin asked, jumping and landing on a couch.

"No need to worry. Sigma's plan is moving as anticipated. Soon the Ark will be reactivated as desired. But to do so, we need more data from more battles." he explained, typing away, "We can't play our big hands just yet, so while we...as in those of us who are the brains...We need you to make Reploids go Maverick for the sake of the plan." he opened a case, revealing a holder which held 5 ZetsumeRise keys before he pulled out several, "Don't mess up please."

"Wait...I'm not grounded anymore?!" Jin beamed, shooting as he rushed over to take the Keys, "Yatta!"

"However...given how upset Serges got when you spilled that bit you did with the belts, you'll be accompanied."

"Hah?! By who?"

"Me, of course," a voice spoke as multiple figures appeared into the room, blurring into one single being as they appeared from the shadows.

Standing there was a Maverick who looked like a human type, save for the fact his eyes were pure white with no pupils making them resemble screens. He was clad in mostly purple armor, he had long pointed shoulder pads which extended out like wings, his waist covered in an armored kilt which spiked into four tails, his legs covered in purple boots with rings of spikes around the cuffs of the top, he had purple gauntlets with white hands with red accents through his joints and palms. His head was covered by a helmet which had two upward turned edges, resembling a cross between a pirate hat and a mongolian hat.

"Eh? Why is Agile here? I thought it would be Vi..."

"Serges wants further data on the special Keys he made," Agile explained, picking up one of the Keys with a picture of an Ostrich on it, "And this one in particular is special, given our lord gave him a second chance before his sudden 'disappearance'."

"Okay…" Jin sighed while taking it, "I can't believe I have a babysitter…"

"Hmm," Horobi smirked.

* * *

"...That Playtime President…" Jun frowned, "Who does he think he is, meeting with a client?!"

"He appears to be visiting workplaces with Reploids, to track down the Terrorist group," Shester explained.

"That's why he went to True Heart Sushi…" Sanzo spoke as he looked at a tablet in Shester's hands.

"A Renowned Three Michelin Star Restaurant," Shester added, "The Proprietor has sought a successor since his back injury a few months ago."

"That's where our Reploid comes into play…" Sanzo added, taking the tablet, "Your call, Vice-President?"

"Let him go for now," Jun ordered, "If he gets the contract, we all benefit. If he fails, then all the more cause to force him out. Either way...it's win-win for me." he grinned as he began to give off a confident smirk.

"Ano...Excuse me, Mr. Vice President?" Rico spoke as she poked her head in.

"Ugh...What is it, Rico?"

"I think I saw the janitor throw your lunch out while he was cleaning the fridge."

"I need to go," Jun spoke calmly as he walked out...before scrambling down the hall in a mad dash, "NO!"

"Serves you right for talking about Win-win's at this time," Rico smirked to herself as she walked off.

* * *

"Sushi, huh?" X muttered, reading a text message from Aruto, "I never understood the appeal of it, personally...don't humans get sick from eating raw meat?"

"It is for Beef, Pork, and Chicken," Alia explained, currently working at a computer while examining the Zetsumerise Key X had found, "Fish is okay if it is prepared properly."

"Really?" he blinked, "Aruto has been going on about how good the stuff this new Reploid Hiden Intelligence developed makes. Still not sure I get it though...seems like a lot of work for only a few small pieces of edible meat."

"Some humans prefer it that way," Alia stated as she focused on the screen, "Hmm...That's odd...the data in this device is key for key. It's almost as if Blizzard Buffalo's data...or rather his 'soul' is in here..tainted by the Maverick Virus."

"Soul...tainted…" X repeated, "That...sounds amazing...How can a key hold that much data?"

"There's still a lot we don't know for sure about these Keys…" Alia sighed, "Only Dr. Light and Dr. Hiden really knew the true potential of them."

"...And yet this terrorist group is tainting them with the Maverick Virus," X frowned, "They're forcing innocent Reploids to do harm…" he took a moment to look at the Buffalo Key before putting a hand on it.

"X?"

"I'm sorry...but I might have to borrow your power for a bit," X whispered, as if talking to it, "Zea, copy and transfer Weapon Data from Blizzard Buffalo."

**=UNDERSTOOD= **Zea spoke as a light came from Xs helmet and began to scan the key for a moment before dismissing **=COPY SUCCESSFUL. FROST SHIELD OBTAINED=**

"So that works…" Alia blinked.

"Hai. Only way I can get it to work is if I'm close enough, or if the target…" X paused for a moment, his hand clenching before he shook his head, "But you get the gist."

"I do. Maybe Zea can help with these keys, too," she muttered, "And possibly some new weapons...Douglas and Pallete have been designing some new field weapons for you and the others to use should you be unable to use your weapons."

"Given what these MetsuboJinrai guys can do...might not hurt." X nodded, "Aruto met one and yet we still know next to nothing about him. Other then he can make them go Maverick with that belt thing."

"...Hmm...what if…" Alia whispered to herself, "...X, should another Maverick created by MetsuboJinrai pop up, trying to get one of their belts intact."

"I'll see what I can do. But given the damage that Zero-One and Vulcan can do, I'll need to get one of their help in that delicate operation." X explained, "And...only one of those two will help us...the other…"

"We saw the video…" Alia sighed, "Douglas nearly lost it when he forced the Key to open."

"That...was literally amazing." X spoke, "That is something that would take an industrial machine…"

"It just cost him his wrist for a few days...not that it stopped him from punching with the same hand." Alia added.

"Good thing he's kinda on our side…" X chuckled.

"Indeed...though Signas suggests to keep a close eye on him," Alia stated, "He might be on our side, but he's still a bit of a loose cannon...like Vile was."

X held back a flinch at that name, his hand gripping for a moment before touching the saber hilt on his hip, recalling its previous owner.

"Maybe…" X nodded, "But...something about him just feels different, too," he added, remembering Isamu's speech to Aruto and before he transformed.

* * *

Back at True Heart Sushi, Yua held up her RisePhone as it flashed. Ikkan's eyes lit up and began scanning the phone as it got data from it.

"...What are you doing?" Aruto blinked, earning a look from Yua.

"You're the president, and yet you don't know how to use Reploids?".

"W-" Aruto began before Roll whacked him on the head with her broom, "Itai!"

"You slept on that lesson, didn't you?" Roll asked.

"...Maybe," Aruto whispered before ducking under another swing, "Ha! Missed m-" he began before he got a face full of broom, "...Ow."

"So you really have no clue what just happened?" Yua asked.

"Clearly not…" Aruto groaned.

"Chef's choice please," Yua ordered from Ikkan.

"Hai-yo!" he cheered as he began working on a piece of sushi.

"Didn't you have a presentation for him?" Yua asked.

"...oh yeah," Aruto recalled, looking for something in his clothes before Roll held a hand up.

"Ikkan Nigiro uses the Rise Phone to analyze data on the customer," Roll explained, "Using that, he selects the perfect sushi for that exact moment. A technique that is only possible for Reploids."

"A Special Selection, Marinated tuna." Ikkan smiled, placing it on Yua's plate, "Please enjoy."

"Soy sauce tuna, huh?" Yua noted, picking it up before taking a bite of it, "Mmm~! Mmm-mmm~!"

"How enthusiastic…" Aruto awed, "That's some sushi…"

"Ahem! Y-Yes," Yua whispered, clearing her throat, "Modern life is about living in harmony with technology. It's up to each of us to decide how we get along with the Reploids."

"...Yeah, exactly!" Aruto beamed, looking at the owner for a moment before looking back at Yua, "I'm so happy we agree on that!"

Norio sighed, watching the two talk, clearly not agreeing or believing in their words.

* * *

While this was going on, across town at a small barbershop a man walked out happy with his mohawk haircut with a Barber Reploid walking him out.

"Thank you very much," the Reploid bowed.

"Thanks! I'll come back next month for a touch up!" the man laughed happily.

"Hmm…" the Reploid smiled before he felt a slight glitch out for a moment, "...eh?"

"Found you~!"

"Eh?" the Barber reploid began to turn before he grunted in pain, a familiar belt around his waist as he grunted in pain.

"Now we're friends," Jin grinned, "So...go ex-"

"Not yet," Agile spoke, walking out from a nearby alleyway before handing the Reploid the Ostrich Zetsumerise Key, "First he needs a touch up," he added, clicking the key before moving his hand to slot it into the belt.

**=̴͠MOA̛͞=**

Red electricity and blades of wind began to surround the reploids as he began to transform. His body armored itself in multiple different colored plates. His chest was covered in a blue chest plate which looped over his shoulders and outward, blades extending from his clavicle and upward, brown straps formed under his shoulders framing the olive green abdomen. The ZetsumeRiser resting over a green belt of armor around his waist leading to a blue codpiece, and brown upper legs. From the knee joint down, his legs were large armored boots, with blades extending from his knees, and ankle and two long toes acting as his feet. He had brown gauntlets with a blade extending over each hand and from the back of his elbows. An orange collar formed in the center of his upper torso as a long armored neck extended out topped in a blue and green ostrich like head.

"...Nande…" the Maverick whispered as he looked at himself, "I...I'm alive?"

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Overdrive Ostrich," Agile greeted.

"Mmm...I wanted to name him," Jin pouted.

"You can name the next one."

"...How...do you know me?" the newly named Overdrive Ostrich asked, "In fact….where am I? Wasn't I in the desert?"

'_...So he lost his memory of what lord Sigma told him...might as well remind him,' _Agile thought, "Well you see, you were called out here by our lord to attack the humans."

"?! What? Why would I...wait," he paused as he looked around, "...Where's Storm Eagle?"

"...Sadly, he is no longer amongst us," Agile sighed.

"?!...N...no….no. He couldn't be…"

"It is true. He was terminated...by the Maverick Hunters. Your former comrades," Agile stated, motioning to Jin as he gave him a signal.

"Oh! Hmm...where...here we go," Jin spoke, pulling out a large metallic purple feather with the tip a metallic red.

"...No…" Overdrive Ostrich whispered with wide eyes, his hands shaking a bit, "He's...they…"

"In cold blood nonetheless…." Agile added, "And the humans ordered it."

"...Maverick Hunters...humans…" Overdrive Ostrich whispered, an anger starting to boil within him before the sound of sirens filled the air.

"Speaking of whom…" Agile smirked just as a few cop cars came rushing in, a few human cops and armored Reploids stepping out.

"We heard a disturbance and a possible Maverick Sighting. Wh-" one cop began.

"You...you'll all pay for taking my friend…!" Overdrive Ostrich growled, glaring over at the cops, "You monsters…!"

"?! Maverick! Men, open f-"

"Sonic Slicer!" Overdrive Ostrich declared, throwing his arms out as he sent out multiple cutting waves, the cops quickly ducking behind their cars before the attack cutted them up into pieces.

"Hahaha...sugoi!" Jin cheered, clapping his hands.

He then took out his gun as he began shooting at the cars, making the officers duck back as Jin's bullets tore through their cover, implying his firearm was greatly more powerful than just a normal pistol.

"We'll keep them busy," Agile offered, placing a hand on Overdrive Ostrich's shoulder, "Why don't you send the Maverick Hunters a message? To those who took your ally away…"

"Good idea...They'll pay for what they did," he nodded before he dashed off in a blur.

"...heh. Poor naive fool," Agile smirked once Overdrive Ostrich was gone, tilting his head to the side to dodge an incoming bullet.

"Why would you have me hold onto the feather anyway?" Jin asked.

"For proof. Last time Lord Sigma convinced him to join before his 'disappearance,' he had his buster to show as proof. This time however, a simple feather of his would suffice," Agile explained.

"Eh...Well least we got that part of the job done," Jin smirked.

"Indeed...now let's be rid of these pests and move onto the next phase of the plan."

* * *

"Here you go. Your favorite piece, squid." Ikkan spoke while serving a piece to Norio, "I believe this to be the ideal sushi for you today."

Norio picked it up and popped it in his mouth as he began eating, slowly but surely tasting it to see if it was to his satisfaction. Everyone waited for him to finish, it felt like an eternity, but in truth was just a few seconds shy of a minute.

"Disgusting," Norio finally spoke, "I wouldn't even call it Sushi."

"But I thought that was your favorite!" Aruto declared in shock.

"There's no way a damn robot can be a sushi chef!" Norio declared.

"That's not true!" Aruto countered.

"A Robot doesn't have a heart!" Norio snapped, making the room go quiet for a moment.

"Heart…?" Aruto repeated in confusion.

"We're done here," Norio stood up as he grabbed his cane, "The Legacy of True Heart Sushi ends with me."

"...A heart…" Roll whispered.

"...Uso…" Aruto groaned just as Yua's phone went off.

"Hai?" Yua answered before her eyes widened, "Maverick?"

* * *

Overdrive Ostrich marched down the street before raising his arms to block a barrage of bullets and energy blasts. He looked ahead as AIMS and the Maverick Hunters intercepted him. He grunted as the barrage of attacks-while not devastatingly powerful-were enough to stagger him for a while.

"MetsuboJinrai…" Isamu growled, walking forward as he pulled out his ShotRiser and began shooting as his bullet hit Overdrive Ostrich's arm, making him stumble back a step, "I'm going to turn you into scrap…" he growled, shooting again and again as he got closer.

"Not unless I leave you in the dust, akuma…!" Overdrive Ostrich growled, crossing his arms as he jumped up high into the air, making Isamu and everyone else look up before the Maverick uncrossed his arms, sending out a large flurry of cutting waves that arched downwards, "Sonic Slicer!"

"Everyone down!" Isamu snapped as he rolled out of the way of each attack, rolling to his feet as he pulled out his Progrise Key. He pressed the button before he began pushing with his thumb till he forced the key open. He swung his arm flipping it open all the way before loading it into his ShotRiser, "Henshin!" he shouted, shooting up as the bullet curved around all of the Sonic Slicer attacks and hit Overdrive Ostrich, it then curved down and back to Isamu who punched the bullet dispersing the armor containers.

**=SHOTRISE! SHOOTING WOLF!=**

In a blue flash, Vulcan took his place as he slotted his ShotRiser onto his belt. He turned around and rolled across the ground before he grabbed two rifles discarded by his men. He aimed and began shooting both, causing Overdrive Ostrich to block once more. Vulcan tossed the weapons away once spent on ammunition. The Kamen Rider rushed as he tackled into the Maverick, sending them rolling across the ground. The two got up, only for Overdrive Ostrich to blink as his punch was caught by Vulcan.

"Grr…" Vulcan growled, twisting his arm to the side, "The only Akuma...is you!" he snapped, punching him across the face, "Mavericks!" he grunted, taking his ShotRiser as he aimed and began shooting, each bullet exploding on impact, making Overdrive Ostrich stumble back.

"Gh...Fine….Then let's see how you like this!" Overdrive Ostrich growled as he became a blur, dodging each shot before he appeared before Vulcan midair, his leg reeled back before he kicked him hard in the chest, sending him skidding back into the stairs.

"Grr.." Vulcan grunted, slamming his elbows onto the stairs to push himself up.

"Nanto…?" Overdrive Ostrich gasped, stepping back, "That should have knocked you out...you're just human."

"I won't rest 'till every Maverick is nothing but scraps…" Vulcan grunted, rolling his shoulder, "I don't care what your reason is. You won't hurt a single human," he walked forward, "That's my vow. Not a single human will be hurt by a Maverick while I'm around."

"...My friend Storm Eagle fought for humans, and yet they and the Maverick Hunters killed him in cold blood," Overdrive Ostrich frowned, "He fought with honor, and your kind killed him with no remorse!"

"That doesn't involve me," Vulcan replied.

"How dare you…"

"I don't care about what happens to Reploids," Vulcan added, "I only care what happens to people. I fight...so no one has to lose their loved ones to Maverick Monsters."

"...Then we're at an impasse...akuma," Overdrive Ostrich frowned, crossing his arms before sending out the cutting waves again, "Sonic Slicer!"

Vulcan turned his head around before crossing his arms and taking the attack. Overdrive Ostrich blinked before sending out another attack only for Vulcan to once again just take it head on. The Maverick arched an eye before stretching his head to the side to see civilians, both Reploid and human hiding behind the AIMS truck behind him.

"Looks like I made it in time…" Yua whispered as she ran into the area...only to stop when she saw Vulcan fighting the Maverick, "...Fuwa, you need my authorization!"

"I'm going to defeat this guy," he replied casually as he blocked a swing from Overdrive Ostrich before shooting him in the chest, "Just shut up and watch, it's all you're good at…" he sighed, swinging and pistol whipping the Maverick across the face.

"Ugh….I swear…" Yusa groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose before noticing the downed and injured AIMS soldiers and Maverick Hunters, quickly rushing over to assist.

Elsewhere in the same area, Aruto and Roll arrived to see the fight going on.

"Guess the party's started," Aruto whispered, "...Wait. Where's…"

"Beginning mission," X spoke as he appeared next to Aruto via a beam of blue light.

"GH?!" Aruto tensed, nearly jumping in surprised, "Don't do that, man!"

"Sorry. I…" X began before he noticed the Maverick Vulcan was fighting, "?! U...uso..."

"Hmm?"

"That's...Overdrive Ostrich," X whispered in disbelief, "He was in the 7th Airborn Unit of the Maverick Hunters."

"He was a Maverick Hunter?" Aruto blinked.

"Kick me one more time...and I'm ripping that goofy head off!" Vulcan snapped.

"He was...but from what I heard, he was forced to retire after an incident," X explained to Aruto as the three watched the fight, "But...how is he..." he paused the moment he spotted a familiar belt on Overdrive Ostrich, "...MetsuboJinrai…"

"How are they doing this…?" Aruto asked.

"Truck…" Roll spoke, making both look as Vulcan lifted and tossed a truck at Overdrive Ostrich, pinning him down for a moment.

"RAAAH!" the Maverick snapped as he tossed the truck off him with his legs.

"Someone didn't skip leg day," Aruto whispered.

"...Pffft…"

***WHACK!***

"Please transform, Aruto-Shacho," Roll advised, lowering her broom.

"Hai, hai…" Aruto groaned, rubbing the bump on his head alongside X rubbing one on his head.

**=JUMP! AUTHORISE!=**

"Henshin!" Aruto called out, slotting his ProgRise key.

**=PROGRISE! To-Bia Ga Rise! RISING HOPPER! A Jump to the sky turns to a Rider Kick=**

Zero-One and X jumped down as they rushed at the fighting Vulcan and Overdrive Ostrich.

"Hmm?" Overdrive Ostrich paused for a moment before jumping back from a slash from Zero-One before blurring out of the way of a few shots from X.

"He's fast…" Zero-One awed.

"You again, Grasshopper…" Vulcan sighed.

"Hello, Wolf," Zero-One joked, "Please don't blow me down."

"Hmm…" Vulcan tapped his ShotRiser before aiming and shooting, forcing Zero-One to panic and jump as the bullets flew under him, and into the path of Overdrive Ostrich, knocking him over.

"Wak! Grr…" Overdrive Ostrich growled as he got up before jumping high, his arms crossed before he uncrossed them once more, "Sonic Slicer!"

"Whoa!" Zero-One jumped out of the way as the attack scratched up a wall, "Phew..that was cl-ACK!" he cried out when one hit him, "Why does it feel like I got hit by two?!"

"HAA!" OverDrive Ostrich roared as he blurred before Zero-One, his legs reeled back before he kicked him hard.

"Ah…" he grunted, rolling backwards across the ground before jumping back to his feet, "You do not skip leg day, huh...Well sorry to tell ya...neither do I!" he declared.

At that, the two charged as they swung their legs, letting them clash. For a moment, it seemed normal 'till a sudden gust made everyone flinch from the power behind their legs. Zero-One grunted, putting more force into his kick...before winning out, knocking Overdrive Ostrich back. The Maverick looked confused as he swung his leg again only for Zero-One's leg to block his kick. The Kamen Rider spun around and slammed another kick to the Maverick's chest, making him stumble back.

"Zero-One has superior leg power?" X asked as Zero-One blocked another kick.

"Well...This is unexpected…" Zero-One blinked as he swung a kick and countered Overdrive Ostrich's next kick, he then spun around and swung a reverse roundhouse to the Maverick's face, knocking him back.

"Tch...This is getting me nowhere…" Overdrive Ostrich growled, jumping high into the air once more, "I'll leave this as a parting gift...akumas! Sonic Slicer...RAIN!"

"?! Move!" X called out.

"I got something…" Zero-One grabbed his Attache Calibur as he closed it.

**=CHARGE RISE!=**

"..." Vulcan tapped the button on his Progrise Key.

**=FULL CHARGE! KABAN STRASH!/SHOOTING BLAST!=**

Zero-One opened and twisted his sword around before swingin an upward swing, unleashing a yellow cutting wave. Vulcan aimed as he fired off a huge blue blast of energy. The Rider's attacks clashed with Overdrive Ostrich's, causing a huge explosion mid-air. By the time the smoke cloud settled...there was no sign of Overdrive Ostrich in the area.

"Ah great...He flew the coop," Zero-One groaned.

"I want to laugh, but not the time," X spoke.

"Grr…" Vulcan gripped his fist.

"Running!" Zero-One panicked at that.

"Grr...pfft…" Vulcan grunted before he calmed down.

"...Did you just force back a laugh?" X asked.

"Hm?" Vulcan asked with a growl.

"Nothing…" X held his hands up, backing away.

"Hmph," Vulcan walked off as he canceled his armor.

"..." X put a hand to the side of his helmet, "Alia."

=X=

"The Maverick was Overdrive Ostrich," X informed.

=What?=

"Trust me...I'm just as surprised, but it's true. I just saw him kickbox with Zero-One."

=...This is concerning…= Alia whispered =...Follow Zero-One. I need to discuss this with Commander Signas=

"?! ...Understood," X nodded as he rushed off.

* * *

"You didn't get the contract?" Rico blinked once Aruto and Roll were back at the office, X now with them.

"We tried, b-" Aruto began.

"Not just that, but you didn't even find anything about the terrorist behind the Mavericks?" Jun asked as he approached Aruto, "Well now...this is quite the dilemma!"

"So why are you happy about it?!" Aruto asked.

"This contract was in our projected budget," Shesta spoke, "This is a considerable loss for the company."

"Which proves my point at how incompetant you are," Jun added.

"But that wasn't my fault! It was that stupid ostritch that got away!" Aruto argued, "Ugh...you gotta be squawking kidding me!"

"I have no idea what you are saying."

"..." Aruto slumped further at that.

"We do have some info on MetsuboJinrai," X spoke, earning Jun's attention, "It's not much, but we know some of the Mavericks-much like the one that attacked here and the one from today- are Reploids that went missing."

"Oh really? And do you have proof?" Jun countered, "In fact...why should I take your word from it, Maverick Hunter? It was your fo-"

***THACK!***

"...Thanks," X whispered to Roll as she lowered her broom.

"Well if you want further proof...AIMS Captain has that proof." Aruto sighed, making Jun flinch as he paused in rubbing the newly formed bump on his head, "He was there and should have the footage. I mean Roll can call him for you." he offered.

"Know what...on second thought...I'll just trust you." he chuckled, backing away, "That man scares me…" he whispered, making a dash for the door.

"...Still, this is concerning," Rico spoke, "First Blizzard Buffalo, and now another Reploid that had gone missing to suddenly reappear?"

"Alia thought the same," X spoke, "We believe that they're storing their 'souls' inside of modified Progrise Keys based on extinct animals, then using Reploids to make new bodies for them."

"Extinct animals?" Aruto repeated, "...Hey, Roll, is that possible?"

"So long as there is DNA of it, it can be made into a Progrise Key," Roll replied.

"..."

"You want to make a Progrise Key for a dinosaur, don't you?" X asked.

"Can you blame me? Dinosaurs are cool," Aruto defended himself.

"Boys…" Rico sighed.

"Though the prospect of more diverse enemies does mean trouble for Zero-One," Roll spoke, walking into the lab portion of the office, "Rising Hopper will, at times, not be enough."

"Not enough...wait...can I use other keys?!" Aruto asked, "I was half joking…oh please be a T-Rex…"

"Negative," Roll replied, "At this time, we do not have DNA samples of any prehistoric animals in the company."

"Boo," Aruto and X complained before hiding behind Rico when Roll held up her broom...before she used it to poke a button out of her reach, "Phew…" a panel above them opened and a large wash bin landed on their heads, "GAH!"

"Uploading analysis of combat data," Roll spoke, her eyes flashing as she spoke with Zea, "Please calculate effective countermeasure."

**=Data analyzed...effective option found=** the Computer voice of Zea spoke as multiple DNA strands were shown before one was chosen.

"A Shark?" Aruto blinked as the image of a Great White was displayed next to the DNA Helix, "How can a Shark beat an Ostrich? I mean...besides dumping the stupid bird in the ocean...oh…" he had a realization.

"Beginning creation process," Roll informed, her eyes turning teal for a moment as the large machine turned on.

"What is this anyway?" Aruto asked.

"The Hiden Intelligence Three Dimensional Printing System," Roll replied, "This one is specialized to create objects to assist Kamen Rider Zero-One. It connects to Zea through Zat."

"That?" Aruto asked.

"No, Zat," Roll replied.

"The security system," Rico added, "Zat and Zea are two sides of one coin. Zea is the brain and Zat is the voice."

"Oh, I get _Zat_," Aruto joked, causing X to start snickering, "So...what next?" he asked.

"We need to find Overdrive Ostrich," X spoke as he calmed down.

"Any chance Zea has a car in it, too?" Aruto asked Roll.

"You are a Kamen Rider...not a Kamen Driver," Roll stated.

"You ride cars…" X muttered.

"So we just have to wait for him to go on a rampage again?" Aruto sighed, "Not exactly proactive, is it?"

=Process Complete= Zat informed.

"That fast?!" Aruto exclaimed as Roll walked up to the door of the printer and slid it open, pulling out a teal Progrise Key bearing the image of the selected shark with the words 'BITING SHARK ABILITY: FANG' on it.

"Well, that's one thing done," Rico noted, "Though...we still have the other issue."

"Finding Overdrive Ostrich?" X asked.

"No, solving that contract issue," Rico replied, "The Reploid made for it, Ikkan, is currently outside the office. Should I let him in?"

"Sure," Aruto nodded.

Roll turned to the door as Ikkan was let in. Her eyes looked him over once as if scanning him for something.

"Yo, Ikkan!" Aruto greeted as he walked over, "Everything alright?"

"...I have an inquiry," Ikkan noted, "Can a soul become data?"

"Eh?" Aruto pondered.

"I do not understand your inquiry," Roll noted.

"The boss seeks one with a soul," Ikkan informed, "Therefore, if a soul were to be installed into me…"

"That is impossible," Roll stated, "A soul cannot be converted into data."

"Eh?" X blinked at that wording as Aruto thought.

"...Roll, Rico, there's something I'd like you both to research regarding True Heart Sushi."

"Huh?" Rico pondered as Roll tilted her head.

* * *

"Alright...Thank you, Alia," Yua thanked, leaning against an AIMS vehicle with her phone to her ear.

"Still nothing on that feathered freak?" Isamu questioned.

Yua ignored him as she ended her call and began checking her phone with a slightly annoyed look as she typed away. As if unable to get what she wanted.

"You look like you're just playing on your damn phone." Isamu leaned in to look only for her to move it out of his line of sight, "Fine. Do whatever you want. You're not even helpful anyway." he grunted, walking off, "We're patrolling." he ordered some men who nodded and made their way to a van.

Yua sighed as she went back to her phone while speaking to herself, "You don't get it. You have no idea how tools work."

* * *

In his shop, Norio was cleaning it for the day. He reached out towards the counter to wipe it with a cloth only to start collapsing onto it. A pair of arms quickly caught the man, making him look up to see that the one who caught him was Ikkan. Ikkan helped him stand up fully and Norio looked to see Aruto approach with Rico and Roll at his sides with X carrying a white box.

"Why are you here?" Norio questioned.

"Here's the ingredients Nigiro Ikkan used this morning," Aruto informed as X hefted the box a little, "I'd like you to try his sushi again."

"I'm busy with tomorrow's preparations. Go home," Norio replied.

"Every apprentice you've ever taken on, has left not wanting to take over the business, right?" Aruto asked.

"Is that what your so-called data told you?" Norio asked with a chuckle, "Well, it's right! None of them could keep up with me. Their souls bent into frustration."

"My soul will not waver," Ikkan informed with a smile, "For I have no soul."

"You have a secret sushi technique, right?" Aruto asked, earning Norio's attention again. "One of your former students told us about it." he smiled.

* * *

_-Flashback-_

_"The Flying True Heart Press?" Aruto asked as he, X, Rico, Roll, and Ikkan were in a modern and larger Sushi restaurant. The owner had Sushi making Reploids making orders for the many customers filling his store for an early lunch._

_"Yeah," the owner nodded, taking out his tablet as he searched up a video file, "Here it is."_

_The video began showing Norio at a preparation station. He held his arms out, one over the rice and the other over freshly cut tuna. He gripped his hands before his eyes suddenly snapped open. At that, a piece of tuna suddenly jumped up into the air._

_"Whoa!? It flew!" Aruto shouted as he, Ikkan and the owner of the establishment watched the video...with the other Reploids trying to peek over their shoulders, poor Rico forced to jump to peer over X's shoulder, "Awesome…"_

_"Strange way of pressing sushi, right?" the worker questioned, "I don't see the point of it."_

_Aruto turned to Ikkan, who was watching the video with meticulous interest. His eyes flashing showing he was scanning and processing the video and the information._

_-end flashback-_

* * *

Ikkan stood behind the counter, squid meat freshly cut to one side and the rice to the other. Ikkan closed his eyes while holding his arms in the same way the owner had in the video.

"Nigiro Ikkan has analyzed your pressing technique and learned the form," Roll informed as Ikkan gripped his hands before his eyes snapped open while a piece of squid jumped into the air.

"Ah! There it is!" Aruto awed as Ikkan was quick, "The Flying True Heart Press!"

"Here, a serving from the soul: one squid," Ikkan informed, setting the prepared sushi before Norio.

"So you think you can make it by copying my technique?" Norio asked.

"I have managed to copy your sushi-pressing technique and I have analyzed the technique," Ikkan replied, "I now know why you use this inefficient way of pressing." he looked at his hand that had been used for the rice before looking at Norio, "This is my theory: the technique carries your sincerity."

"Sincerity?" Rico and X repeated quietly, sharing looks with each other in confusion.

The owner looked at Ikkan for a moment. He reached out and took the sushi that had been prepared before eating it. He chewed for a few moments before swallowing. Never once did his eyes leave Ikkan.

"...Do it 10,000 times all over again," Norio ordered, his voice a little shaky.

"Acknowledged. Ten thousand times, correct?"

"So cocky...You're more stubborn than a human," Norio noted.

"...Aruto-Shacho, why are you smiling?" Roll asked.

"Hm?"

"The owner is angry and does not look too happy," Roll noted.

"Hmm…" Aruto nodded as the Reploids looked to him, "I guess if I had to explain it in simple terms... Humans...are really weird!" he smiled, "We're not all that simple. Didn't Dr. Light seem that way to you?"

"..." Roll looked back at Norio and Ikkan, a blank expression on her face.

* * *

"Alright...we've had enough time for them to extend out far enough," Jin smiled as he sat on the railing of a roof, "Vulcan will be on the clear other side of town. X and Zero-One won't be able to handle the next phase of the attack. Double O...begin infecting." He ordered to Overdrive Ostrich.

"Huh?" Overdrive Ostrich asked, "Infecting?"

"Yes...the Maverick Virus in your code. Spread it to other Reploids," Jin ordered.

"Oh, right," Overdrive Ostrich nodded, "...How do I do that?"

"You make these tentacles come out!" Jin replied.

"How?"

"...Ahh...Ano...Good point," Jin replied before pulling his phone out and dialed.

=What?= Horobi deadpanned.

"How do we make the tentacles come out?"

=...Jin...Are you watching something weird again? I don't want a repeat of what happened when you watched that American cartoon from 1985 with the cat people from space=

"What...no...I most certainly do not still think of that every moment I'm awake with dread…" Jin replied.

=Hmm…=

"How do we make the tentacles that infect more friends with the Maverick Virus?" Jin asked.

=You mean cables…=

"Is there a difference?"

=Multiple...key of which...you're an idiot=

"Aw…"

=Put the bird on the line=

"Okay. He wants to talk to you," Jin replied, giving the phone to Overdrive Ostrich.

"Moshi-moshi," Overdrive Ostrich spoke into the phone, "...Uh-huh. ...Uh-huh. ...Alright. I think I can do that. ..." he put a hand over the receiver, "He says you're in trouble later because he just found a sword under your bed that he swore he threw out into the lake."

"...Agile, c-"

"I'm not an enabler," Agile spoke, currently polishing a katana with the blade a pure crimson.

"Ah Fudge…" Jin sighed.

"Alright, thank you for the explanation, Horobi," Overdrive Ostrich thanked as he gave it back to Jin, "Yosha…"

With that, Overdrive Ostrich roared as he swung his arms out. Multiple white cables shot out of them and all over the area.

* * *

=X, I'm picking up multiple Maverick signals spiking throughout the city= Alia spoke

"What?" he blinked.

"What is it?" Aruto asked.

"Maverick signals a-" X began before one of the white cables crashed into the building before stabbing Ikkan, "?!"

"O-one S-squid!" Ikkan's voice sputtered as he changed into a Trilobite Maverick. The face mask shut down over his as he began swinging around wildly.

"Ikkan!" Rico gasped.

"Rico, Roll, get the Chef out of here," Aruto ordered as he and X pushed the Maverick Ikkan back.

"O-one S-squid!" the Trilobite repeated, struggling to get out of X's grip.

"He has to be destroyed!" X grunted as Ikkan spun around him and ran out the door.

"But he just got through to the Chef…" Aruto grunted as they ran out, "I can't do that!"

"I know...and it pains me as much as you do," X argued, his fist tightened up, "But he can be brought back with backup data, so that's at least something."

"Heh...quite the optimist, I see."

"?!" X tensed before he and Aruto looked up, seeing Agile standing on top of a nearby roof, "...Who are you?"

"Hoh? Well if you must know…" Agile paused as he leapt down, standing a few feet away, "I am Agile, strategist of the X Hunters."

"X...Hunters?"

"That's right. And in case the name wasn't obvious...we were formed…" Agile paused, slowly pulling his katana out as a slight murderous look appeared in his eye, "To hunt _you_, Megaman X."

"?!" X tensed, pushing Aruto out of the way before blocking a massive cutting wave, sending him skidding back quite a few feet as a large gash was left in the streets, _'I didn't even see him attack!'_

"Hm?" Agile blinked, raising his sword to block a bullet, his sword splitting it and letting it go off and hit two Maverick Grunts that were filling the street, "You're not the Shooting Wolf."

Yua walked forward with a ShotRiser in hand, "Don't move, Maverick."

"...heh. Here's the thing…" Agile grinned, seemingly vanishing for a moment before reappearing behind her, "I don't like standing in one place for too long in a fight." he vanished once more to dodge a few shots from X, "Too slow."

"Aruto, go look for Ikkan," X spoke, keeping his Buster aimed at Agile, "I'll take care of the Mavericks here."

"Hai!" Aruto nodded before pausing, seeing how many Trilobite Mavericks filled the street, "I can't tell them apart…"

"Just destroy them," Yua replied simply.

"..." Aruto gripped his hand at that, "It's not that simple…" he spoke, getting everyone's attention, "Reploids are our partners," he grunted, gritting his teeth, "We have relationships with them! They're not just tools!"

"...Heh. As if Reploids-especially those you deem as Maverick-could be partners with lesser beings like you," Agile taunted, "Humanity is on a slow decline whereas we keep evolving...we're the next step in evolution."

"No...Reploids are just tools," Yua spoke, "But misused, they can harm others or break. When that happens...they need to be replaced with better models." she pulled out a belt and clipped a ShotRiser to the buckle before strapping it on around her waist.

**=SHOTRISER!=**

"Another one?" X pondered as Yua pulled out an orange Progrise Key and pushed the button on it with her pinkie.

**=DASH!=**

"You're not going to pull it open like Isamu, are you?" X asked.

"I'm not an idiot who'd break their wrist like him," Yua replied as she inserted the key into her ShotRiser.

**=AUTHORISE=**

"So that's how it's done…" X realized as Yua opened the key inside of the gun.

"Henshin!" Yua declared before pushing the trigger.

**=SHOTRISE!=**

The bullet flew out of the barrel and curved around her before aiming at her torso. It broke open as the armor containers formed around her, building her suit. It formed the same base suit as the one Vulcan wore. However of course tailored to her thinner build and a chest plate to contort to her figure. Orange armor formed on her chest which spread to the right side of her body, with a large shoulder pad that curved down her upper arm, multiple black triangles decorating her collar and shoulder. Likewise the orange armor around her upper arm and her gauntlet had the same black 'spots' with the armor on the back of her hand tipped in claws over her knuckles. The armor on her right leg was the same orange with black spots and claws on her boot. Her white mask was different from Vulcan's, it had cat shaped eyes with yellow optics and black lines going down where her nose would be and framing her mouth. An orange ridge formed around her mask framing the side of her jaw, with two horns forming cat ears atop her helmet with more black spots at the top of her helmet.

**=RUSHING CHEETAH!=**

With that, the new female Rider ran forward as a blur and punched a Maverick before kicking her leg out and striking a second. The kick continued forward as she stomped the Maverick down to the ground.

**=Try to outrun this demon to get left in the dust=**

"A Shooting Wolf, a Rising Hopper, and now a Rushing Cheetah," Agile noted in amusement, "A Trinity of Kamen Riders...How amusing."

"AI in violation of the law verified," the new Rider noted, "Kamen Rider Valkyrie eliminating targets now."

"Valkyrie?" Aruto repeated, "...But she's a cat, not a bird."

"I think she refers to the gun called a valkyrie," X noted.

"Vulcan's name is also a gun…" Aruto realized.

"I guess they are rather alike…" X muttered ducking over a swing from Agile.

Aruto turned around as a figure landed on the ground between all of them, everyone looked to see Overdrive Ostrich.

"So another human has become an akuma," Overdrive Ostrich scowled.

"Akuma?" Valkyrie asked, "What are you-?" she raised her arms to block a swing from his arm, "What an odd emotional response…" she ran to the side as a blur.

"Fast…" Overdrive Ostrich spoke, dashing after her.

The two began running around before running off to take their fight elsewhere. The two blurs jumped from wall to wall clashing mid air several times. Valkyrie ducked under a kick before spinning around and swinging a low at his other leg. The Maverick jumped up in time to avoid her kick. He moved his legs to stomp down only to flinch as Valkyrie rolled out of his path and jumped up, landing an uppercut to his face.

"Aruto," X spoke, "Now might be a good time to change." he glanced over his shoulder at Aruto to see him thinking, "..."

=They're not tools!=

"Gah! N-Norio-san?!" X exclaimed as the left piece on his helmet flipped open, revealing a small speaker.

=Sorry. I was worried so I hacked your comms= Rico apologized.

=The young lady said it herself earlier: It's all up to humans to decide how to live with Reploids= Norio spoke.

"...All up to the humans…" Aruto repeated.

"I grow bored of this," Agile noted.

"..." Aruto pulled out the Zero-One Driver as he strapped it to his waist, he then produced his Progrise Key and clicked the button with his thumb.

**=JUMP! AUTHORISE!=**

The light shone from above as the Grasshopper Ride Frame landed on the ground. It roared at Agile, making him flinch in surprise before it jumped and turned around mid-air...and kicked its legs out, striking him in the chest and knocking him over.

"Henshin!" Aruto shouted, slotting the key into place.

**=PROGRISE! RISING HOPPER!=**

"We'll talk about you hacking my communications later, Rico," X noted, quickly shutting it off as Zero-One hefted his briefcase and unfolded it.

**=BLADE RISE!=**

Zero-One swung his sword as he blocked Agile's next swing. The Kamen Rider grunted, pushing his weapon up and spinning around Agile. As the Maverick lost his focus for a moment, he was blindsided by a kick to his back, sending him stumbling forward. Agile grunted before he flinched as an energy shot hit him, making him stagger back once again. He looked up as Zero-One jumped and swung a kick, striking him across the face.

"Equipping Frost Shield," X spoke as his armor turned dark-navy and his jumpsuit purple.

"Frost Shield? A defensive ability?" Zero-One asked.

X aimed and fired what appeared to be a missile tipped with a long sharpened icicle. Agile blinked and blocked with his sword, only for the missile to explode into a frost like mist which froze over his sword, arms, and legs.

"That's not a shield! That's an Ice missile!" Zero-One argued before taking out his new key, "Might as well show you how ya need to be accurate."

**=FANG! AUTHORISE=**

Aruto blinked as he was back in Zea. He looked around before an annoyed growl made him slowly turn to see Roll again, her eyes a sharp teal with her dress replaced with a teal school swimsuit with shoulder-length gloves and stockings that sported shark blades on them.

"Uh...Roll? Why are you in that?" Aruto asked.

"Just get to reading before I rip ya a new one," Roll growled, showing her teeth were sharp as a shark's mouth.

"Yipe!" Aruto yelped as a new option appeared reading 'BITING SHARK,' "Why are you so scary?! I thought you were jumpy and peppy in here!"

"What was that?" Roll growled, before him with her eyes narrowed.

"R-Reading!" Aruto squeaked. He turned to the option as he tapped it, "Aquatic combat form, enhanced physical power...arm blades…" he read through the abilities, "Propulsion underwater, oxygen recycling…" he paused, "Wait a second...Where's the biting?"

"It ain't got a bite," Roll replied with a snort.

"Very misleading…" Aruto muttered.

"Nani?" Roll growled.

"Gomen nassai," Aruto squeaked in fear.

In space, Zea fired a teal beam down to the surface. The beam hit a nearby reservoir. A shark fin popped out of the water before swimming around. It dived down...and suddenly, a large teal Great White shark jumped out into the sky. It aimed down and dived down, crashing into Agile. It began chewing on him while wiggling around.

"Ah...Same-chan is teething, I think," Zero-One noted before whispering to X, "And Roll was really scary in Zea this time, too…"

"I heard that."

"GYEH!" Zero-One yelped, spinning around to see Roll standing nearby, "Roll?!"

"Battle data is being recorded," Roll informed monotonically.

"Will ya stop with the emotional flip flop?!" Zro-One groaned while plugging in his new key.

**=PROGRISE!=**

With that, the shark threw Agile away and 'swam' in the air over to Zero-One, breaking apart into several parts. The yellow parts on Zero-One began to glow before they started shifting all over his body, rearranging into a new configuration. His old mask opened and slid to the sides before rotating around so his antenna now pointed down. His chest armor bunched together and folded up before sliding down his arms and ending on his forearms in the shape of sharp fins, the armor on his thighs and boots slid to the side as well. Blue DNA helix beams shone on his body as it began forming new armor. Blue armor formed on his shins, with small fins extending outwards and two ports formon across the two armor pieces, hexagonal shoulder pieces formed on each shoulder decorated in black vent like slits like gills. A blue chest plate resembling the top of a shark's head formed, two sets of segmented armor forming gills over his ribs, two angled plates forming brows and black openings the eyes with a blue center plate completing the look. His mask also resembled a shark's face with a dorsal fin atop his helmet, and two fins on the side of his face curving upward. Black zig-zag lines formed a jaw of sharp teeth as his eyes were now a dark magenta.

**=KIRIKIRIBAI! KIRIKIRIBAI! BITING~ SHARK~! Fangs that can chomp through concrete=**

"Oh! Neat!" X exclaimed before poking at Zero-One's mask, "...Eh? The jaw doesn't open?"

"No. It...It just uses the fins on my arms as blades…"

"...So it doesn't bite?" X asked, an amused smile on his face.

"Oh shut up," Zero-One muttered, blushing under his mask.

"An aquatic mode...on land? What stupidity…" Agile grunted, getting up.

"I don't know," Zero-One cheered as he held his arms up and made a biting motion with his hands, using his fingers as teeth, "I feel like this form can take a bite out of evil!"

"...Hmph. fine…" Agile scoffed, getting into a stance as he held his katana ready, "Let's see your 'fangs' defeat my blade...ningen. X."

"Ike, Zero-One," X spoke, a serious look on his face as he stood ready.

"Ha!" Zero-One shouted, rushing in.

The Kamen Rider swung his arm in a punch, but missed with his fist swinging his bladed arm fin up at Agile. The Maverick grunted, blocking with his sword only to stagger back. Agile swung downward, only for Zero-One to block with his left arm's fin. The Rider pushed his arm to the side before swinging with his right, slashing Agile across the chest and making him stagger back as a scratch formed on his armor. Agile growled in anger as he swing in a diagonal angle from his left only to be blocked as Zero-One spun around and used the curve of right arms blade to hook and deflect the sword away, the Rider using the momentum to swing with his left and slash the Maverick across the chest once more.

"I'd say this is going _swimmingly_~" Zero-One laughed as he put his hand together in the chomping motion again to mock Agile.

"Why you…" Agile growled before grunting as several of the ice 'missiles' fired by X hit him in the side and exploded to freeze where they had hit, "Gh!"

"Don't forget you're fighting two," X informed.

"It's not so fun when the bad guys are outnumbered, is it?" Zero-One spoke, punching with his right arm and slashing Agile across the chest, knocking him over, "By the way, you can't call us cheats...you're the bad guy. You lose that card."

"Do you ever shut up?!" Agile snapped swinging at Zero-One.

"Sorry...just call me a jabber jaws!" Zero-One laughed.

Zero-One punched with his right arm and deflected Agile's slash away with his fin, the Rider spun around and swung with his left in a backhand scratching the Maverick across the chest. He kept his spun going and swung with his right, slashing at him again, making sparks fly on contact with his chest. Agile grunted swinging low as Zero-One jumped over the blade. The Maverick prepared to swing up only to be blind sided by another ice missile to his back keeping him stuck in his crouching position. Zero-One stepped off Agile's head and jumped to the side next to X as they both turned to Agile who broke free of the ice.

"You might be fast, but you can't stand up to my bite!" Zero-One held up his arms.

"Tell us what you and MetsuboJinrai are after!" X ordered aiming at Agile.

"Heh...you truly want to know?" Agile grinned, "Our true goal may end up scaring you…"

"Just tell us!"

"...fine. I'll tell you as a sneak peek…" Agile smirked, reeling his sword back as he prepared for a massive cutting wave, "The revival of a powerful warrior...one you may know, X."

"?!" X' eyes widened at that.

"I thought you wanted world domination." Zero-One spoke.

"Wha...well yes!" Agile spoke.

"So which one is it?" Zero-One asked, "Revive a guy, or world domination?"

"Both!"

"You should consider getting a cooler hat." Zero-One added, pointing at his head for emphasis.

"...Nice try. You're trying to goad me into messing up...sad to tell you…" Agile paused before he jumped up in a rising slash, sending out the massive cutting wave before doing a falling slash, sending out another, "It will not work!"

"GH?!" X and Zero-One tensed before blocking the cutting waves, grunting as they were sent skidding back while the cutting waves left two more large gashes in the street.

"That hurt a lot less…" Zero-One spoke, lowering his arms, "Soka...I got a defense boost too!" he tapped his hand on his belt pushing the key in.

**=BITING IMPACT!=**

Zero-One raised his arms up as liquid energy formed along his arm blades forming into larger energy blades. Zero-One ran forward, he slashed as he clashed with Agile's sword several times, each strike making him stagger back. Zero-One held both arms out as he delivered a cross slash that Agile blocked, sending him skidding back and hitting a chain link fence. Agile turned around, seeing that behind him was a reservoir of water.

"Let's go swimming!" Zero-One swung his arms up and down, cutting a hole in the fence before slamming and punching both his hands into Agile's chest pushing him through the hole and into the water below. Before jumping in, Zero-One picked out his Rising Hopper key...and began scanning it to his belt.

**=Bit Rise! Byte Rise! Kilo Rise! Mega Rise! Giga Rise!=**

With that Zero-One dove into the water. Agile surfaced before looking as a shadow swam around the water and around him at rapid speeds. Agile swung and stabbed his katana into the water only to miss every time. Zero-One grunted tapping the key.

**=BITING GIGA IMPACT!=**

Zero-One swam around Agile at such speeds the water began forming into a vortex around him. Agile grunted as he was washed around before the Rider stopped letting the water come to a crashing halt sending the Maverick up into the air. Zero-One jumped out of the water and into the air after Agile. Zero-One growled as the liquid energy formed around his legs into large serrated fin blades pointing upwards like hooks. Zero-One flipped back as he aimed his legs up and swung them up, the blades digging into Agile's back as the kick sent him flying upwards into the sky.

**バ**

**イ**

**テ**

**ィ**

**ン**

**グ**

**ギ**

**ガ**

**イ**

**ン**

**パ**

**ク**

**ト**

**=BITING GIGA IMPACT!=**

A massive explosion went off as Zero-One dove back into the water. X looked up and slowly tilted his head down as a heavily damaged Agile landed on the ground. It was then he noticed something fall nearby.

"A disc?" X blinked.

"Gh….kuso...I got careless…" Agile grunted, using his sword to stand up, "...Regardless. Even if we have one part missing, it will not deter us from our goal."

"?! Don't m-" X began before Agile leapt up, seemingly splitting into six before each one vanished from sight, "...he got away."

"Phwa!" Zero-One gasped, jumping out of the water, "He survived that? Ah man...satelite Roll is gonna yell at me."

"...Alia," X spoke, turning his comm on as he walked over and carefully picked the disc up, "One of the Mavericks dropped a disc. I don't know what's on it...but it might have something to do with this 'revival' he mentioned."

=Revival?= Alia repeated =Hmm...I may need to examine it once you get back=

"Roger," X replied.

"We still got Roadrunner to deal with, too," Zero-One added.

* * *

Elsewhere, Valkyrie and Overdrive Ostrich sped around clashing back and forth. The two skid to a halt as Overdrive Ostrich swung low, only for Valkyrie to swing her hands forward, block his leg and roll over the kick. She grunted spinning around on the palm of her hand, spreading her legs apart in an upside down split as she swung and kicked both legs across his face. She jumped off his leg before rolling forward and planting her feet against a wall. She grunted and pushed off the wall, rolling around and kicking both her legs out landing a drop kick to the Maverick, sending him skidding back and slamming through a wall.

"His legs are strong while he relies on his speed and blades for slicing attacks both close and far ranged," Valkyrie spoke, tapping the circular part of her helmet over her ear, "Recording information and data."

"Recording?" Overdrive Ostrich repeated.

"I have to analyze you. Why you're defective, why you went Maverick. To ensure this mistake never happens again," Valkyrie explained.

"Mistake?" he asked, clearly upset.

"I always believed giving Reploids advanced AI capable of emotions was a mistake," Valkyrie went on walking around him, "Machines can't handle emotions. It's a dangerous mistake that makes technology more likely to become defective."

"Defective?!" Overdrive Ostrich snapped, "My actions are justified, akuma!"

"Why am I an akuma?"

"Because..because you humans and the Maverick Hunters killed Storm Eagle in cold blood!" Overdrive Ostrich snapped, "I'll never forgive you all for killing him!"

"Killed?" she asked, "Machines can't be killed." she spoke, "Look at yourself...you were revived within a newer model body. That is your flaw...you think Reploids have mortality."

"Wha...what?" he asked.

"If possible, his data could be used to revive him the same as you. But...you're too defective to realize that on your own." Valkyrie went on, "That's why you are a Maverick. You're defined by mistakes. Which is why you must be terminated and rebuilt."

"You think our lives don't matter…"

"You're not alive." Valkyrie argued.

"...You humans really are monsters," Overdrive Ostrich scowled, "No wonder Commander Sigma rebelled against you…"

"That is why Mavericks must be eliminated...you are tools that think highly of themselves." Valkyrie spoke as she pulled off her ShotRiser.

With that the two began running down the road. Overdrive Ostrich swun his arms sending cutting waves only to miss each time as Valkyrie jumped and ducked under each one, never losing speed or momentum. She aimed and began shooting as each of her bullets countered each of the Maverick's slicing waves. She looked forward, before to her side. Her eyes taking in all information, possibilities and outcomes. Valkyrie suddenly kicked her leg forward, bringing her to a sudden stop.

Overdrive Ostrich skid to a halt as well as he turned to Valkyrie as she jumped and bagan bouncing from wall to wall, going higher and higher with each leap. The Maverick grunted, swinging his arms and sending cutting waves at the Rider as she evaded each one. Valkyrie grabbed a ledge and flipped around, avoiding another attack before pushing herself up with her hand. She landed on her feet and pushed up with all the power her legs could offer, sending her high into the air.

"What?!" Overdrive Ostrich blinked, "Heh...she can't dodge in mid-air!" he began swinging his arms, "Sonic Slicer!"

"Hmph!" she raised her hand and tapped on the button.

**=DASH!=**

She quickly pulled the trigger while the ShotRiser was still on her buckle.

**=RUSHING BLAST FEVER!=**

She tucked her body forward and began rolling forward as she fell. She gained speed as her rolled up form made a smaller target as all of Overdrive Ostrich's attacks missed. The Maverick gawked as she extended her right leg and supported it with her hands. Her leg began glowing with orange energy as it formed around the claws on her boot. With a grunt she swung her kick down as it struck Overdrive Ostrich's shoulder and tore through his armor. The Maverick grunted crouching forward as Valkyrie landed on one knee in front of him.

"Gh?!" he grunted as his fall was stopped by the ShotRiser jammed into his chest.

"Sayonara…" she spoke, pulling the trigger.

**ラ**

**ッ**

**シ**

**ン**

**グ**

**ブ**

**ラ**

**ー**

**ス**

**ト**

**フ**

**ィ**

**ー**

**バ**

**ー**

**=RUSHING BLAST FEVER!=**

At that, a powerful orange blast shot into Overdrive Ostrich, sending him skidding across the road, the energy building up inside of his own body as a massive orb of orange light. He stopped as it exploded in a massive blast of light which spread out as multiple bullets of energy into the sky.

"Guh...I...I'm sorry…" Overdrive Ostrich grunted as he crashed into the ground, struggling to stand as he reached up to the sky, "Storm Eagle...I'm sorry...I couldn't...avenge you...my friend…" he whispered before falling back, exploding once he hit the ground.

Valkyrie landed on her feet with all the grace of her motif. A clatter made her look down to see the Zetsumerise key that Overdrive Ostrich had on his belt. She picked it up as footsteps went off, making her look to see Vulcan running up. She looked at him while he looked at her. While looking at him, Valkyrie held up her ShotRiser and undid her transformation, leaving Yua smirking at him.

"And that's how it's done," Yua informed.

"I killed all the grunts…" Vulcan argued, tapping the button and pulling his Key out, canceling his armor, "And why didn't you say there were two guns? You should've told me!"

"Only one can be registered per user...and I'm not risking you being gun happy with two," Yua argued.

"Why would I need two transforming guns…" Isamu muttered, "I could have given it to someone with better combat abilities."

"..." Yua's eye twitched a bit at that.

"Matte!" the two turned to see X approach them, "That Key...I take it you…"

"Hai...the Maverick is exterminated," Yua nodded.

"...May I have that key?"

"Hmm?"

"He was once a Maverick Hunter...it's only proper to give him a proper send off," X explained.

"...He claimed the Maverick Hunters killed his ally Storm Eagle in cold blood."

"...That part is half-true…" X sighed, making Yua blink a bit, "When I fought him...he silently begged me to take him down…to stop him from harming the humans he once protected."

"..." Isamu took the key out of Yua's hands before tossing it to X, "Here. We don't need it anyway."

"Thank you," X nodded as he caught it, _'I'm sorry...but if I am to fight the people behind this chaos...I'll need your power.' _"Zea, copy and transfer Weapon Data from Overdrive Ostrich."

**=UNDERSTOOD= **Zea complied as the beam scanned the Key** =COPY SUCCESSFUL. SONIC SLICER OBTAINED=**

"Got it," X nodded before looking back at Yua and Isamu, "I apologize for this inconvenience…"

"It's fine," Yua sighed.

"Whatever," Isamu spoke, walking off, _'That woman is weird…'_

* * *

"Aw...We lost another friend," Jin pouted, lying on a rooftop before footsteps made him look to see Agile approach, "Oh! You didn't a'splode! That's great!"

"If only...My body got damaged from Zero-One's finisher," Agile grunted, sparks coming off him for a moment as he sat down, "And what's worst...they got one of the Z parts."

"I'm not telling Horobi…" Jin spoke, "And you can't make me 'cause when I tell him...he always thinks it's my fault...and then he grabs his sword and I have to fix my hair...I liked my old pony tail!"

"Hmph...well…"

"Zis is fine...one lost part will not deter us," Serges' voice spoke as two figures appeared from the shadows.

Standing there were two more Mavericks. One was a short hunchbacked Maverick. He had blue armor with yellow piping around his lower torso, with a red waste plate, blue leg armor with red feet. The majority of his body was hidden behind a blue cape, his face resembled an elderly man with a large metallic mustache and beard with two blades of metal acting as hair on the side of his head, his right eye looked normal with the same metallic eyebrows and a red eye, while his left was a large monocle like lens, his head topped with a large circular cap.

The second was taller than the old man looking Maverick but shorter than Agile, his body rounded and colored in red and yellow. He had large shoulder joints with spikes extending from each one, he had large gorilla-like forearms covered in red armor with spiked braces around his wrists and spikes jutting from each knuckle. True to the rest of his ape like body, he had a head to match with ape like facial features with protruding fangs from his lower jaw, large green eyes surrounded by blue metal armor, the top of his head covered in brown armor with a red strip across the top of his head and connecting to a pony tails of linked spiked balls, ending with a large mace that hung over his back.

"Ah...so you two decided to visit," Agile noted before grunting.

"Hmph! Can't believe you lost to a human of all things," the bulky Maverick frowned.

"But in return, we did obtain some combat data," Serges pointed out, approaching on the hovering platform he was on as he began to examine Agile, "And now there is a third Rider amongst them."

"The Rushing Cheetah...Valkyrie," Agile informed.

"But she didn't look like a bird," the bulky Maverick noted.

"The gun, not the Norse mythology, Violen," Agile deadpanned.

"Oh...I knew that."

"No you d-" Jin began before the bulky Maverik's mace flew past him, breaking some nearby crates, "...Shutting up."

"Hmph!" Violen grunted, moving his head back as the mce retracted back to him.

"No fighting," Serges spoke, his monocle scanning each part of Agile's body, "Hmm...Jin, get me ze toolkit."

"Ohh…! The toolkit!" Jin squeed as he ran off to grab it.

"Why does he always have to be so excitable about things…?" Agile sighed.

"His mentality is zat of a child," Serges explained, "Zat is what Horobi wanted of him…"

"Hmm?"

"Jin may not realize it...but he can be incredibly dangerous if left unchecked," Serges explained.

"I got the toolkit!" Jin cheered, holding it over his head as he ran back.

"Idiot, don't run! You'll…" Serges began before Jin tripped, causing the tools to fly out, "...drop it."

"Ow."

"Grr…" Jin slowly looked up to see Violen glaring down at him, the tools covering his body, "Kozo…"

"...Agile did it…"

"I'm over here…" Agile deadpanned.

"...whopwhopwhowpwhop!" Jin yelped as he ran off.

"Get back here, kozo!" Violen snapped as he chased after him, swinging his mace.

"...Trust me, he does have great potential," Serges informed Agile as he gave a deadpan look while motioning to the sight, _'...ugh. Ich bin von idioten umzingelt.' _

* * *

"EH?!" Jun and his partner exclaimed.

"You got the contract with True Heart Sushi?!" the man asked in shock as Jun's mouth twitched, trying to not turn into a snarl.

"President Aruto did," Rico replied with a smile, "Though it was more through Ikkan's efforts to be accepted by the owner."

"That...That's...wait…" Jun calmed down for a second, "Where is he now?!"

"Following up with the client," Rico smiled again, "I just came back to perform the needed paperwork filing, copy making of said paperwork, and then scanning the original documents for online storage while preserving the original paperwork in case the online storage fails."

"In other words...he has a constant reservation at the best Sushi restaurant in the city…" Jun spoke in a neutral tone, "And it still counts as work…" he spoke as he turned away. After a second, he fell over.

"That was not a manly way to faint, was it, Sanzo-san…?" Rico noted, earning a shake of the head of the other guy.

* * *

"Too much force," Norio stated, overlooking Ikkan currently making some sushi, "You're going to crush the rice."

"Understood. Adjusting grip strength."

Aruto smiled, watching the Master and student, he then developed a confused expression as he thought of something, "Am I the only one who thinks Reploids have hearts and souls?"

"Hmm?" Roll looked over at him.

"Well...He managed to change the Chef's mind." Aruto muttered, looking at them as he smiled once more, "Sorry Chef! I hope you don't mind starting from scratch with a new model." he put his hands together in apology.

"Don't worry about it, kid!" Norio laughed, "Gives me a chance to teach him the basics."

"Here is your squid, made from the soul," Ikkan spoke, putting down the finished sushi before Aruto.

"Well if you say so, Chef," Aruto smiled looking at the plate, "I th_ink_ I will," he laughed.

"A comedic joke in which 'think' replaces-yet contains- the word 'ink," Roll spoke.

"Eh?!" Aruto doubletak-ed at that.

"Aruto Ja~Naito."

"Wait, that wasn't on purpose! And don't serve up my own material!" Aruto complained.

"Serving up seconds!" Ikkan cheered, mistaking that as an order.

"Nigiro, stop!" Aruto complained.

* * *

A hand moved a white chess pieces along a board. The hand slowly moved a Knight piece into position before spreading out pawns in a defensive position around the King.

"Sadly, it seems like a technical error occurred with my spyware program," Yua spoke up as a Black pawn took out the white Knight.

"You misjudged his resources," a man spoke, "His assistant was one of the late Dr. Light's special works. You thought you could sneak something past his creation with such a simple spyware program." he grabbed a Rook piece and toppled the Black pawn, "But that is why we have multiple pieces on the board...and multiple plans." he spoke as he held his hand up, showing his bracelet as it displayed a holographic screen of Aruto putting on the Zero-One Driver, then changed to an image of Zero-One changing from Rising Hopper to Biting Shark form, "He has the missing Progrise Key data that was lost. The key data that can restore the Ark."

"..." Yua looked down as the man leaned back in his chair.

"So the man with the key is Hiden...Zero-One," he smiled.

* * *

"So that makes two of these Keys," Alia noted, looking at the two Zetsumerise Keys that were Blizzard Buffalo and Overdrive Ostrich, "We can consider is more than likely capable of turning Reploids into these keys and is the possible cause of all the missing Reploid reports."

"Agreed," X nodded, "And then there's the X Hunters...they were made to hunt me. But...who could've brought them together? And what of this 'revival' Agile mentioned?"

"If they're part of Sigma's old army, most likely it is to bring them back," a voice spoke, making the two tense as a Reploid in black and yellow armor walked in.

"Commander Signas, sir," X spoke before saluting.

"Stand down," he ordered, "Still...both these X Hunters and ...most likely they are collabing with each other under someone's command...question is who?"

"Hopefully the disc X found will hold some clues," Alia spoke, moving over to the computer, she plugged it into the computer and gave it a moment to scan and process the data, after a moment data filled the screen, "This is...schematic data? For parts of a Reploid?"

"Reploid parts?" X pondered.

"Alia, see if you can find a name for the file the schematics are in," Signas spoke.

"Hai," Alia nodded, typing away at the keyboard before stopping, her eyes widened in disbelief, "N...no way…"

"Hmm?"

"Commander...these are parts of schematics...for Zero."

"?!"

* * *

_GT: Hoo boy...Seems Yua attempted to spy on Aruto for some guy and the Maverick Hunters have a disc with blueprints for Zero._

_Z0: Things are dangerous for our heroes. _

_SZ: Eeyup...questions is how will our heroes handle this?_

_Z0: Let's see what happens next time!_

_SZ: Preview time!_

* * *

**Jikai, Zero-One: X Protocol**

Aruto: What happened at the factory 12 years ago?

?: The Explosion was my Dad's fault.

Isamu: Your father did nothing wrong!

Aruto: I'm going to prove Reploids are the machines of peoples dreams!

Isamu: Keep looking forward...and keep moving toward it!

**4TH Entry: The Bus Guide Saw it! The Truth!**

?: You look like an older version of the one who protected people that day.

* * *

_GT: Seems we're going to talk about Daybreak Town next chapter._

_Z0: IT's gonna be interesting. _

_SZ: Indeed...anyways guys and gals, read and review!_


	4. Routine 4

_SZ: *teleports down via a beam of light* we back and wow...a lot has happened in Zero-One_

_Z0: Things have been getting good so we figured we'd get back into the swing of things. _

_SZ: Eeyup. Plus...*taps a wall, causing it to slide and reveal tons of files*we have a LOT of ideas for this fic._

_GT: *pops out of the tons of files* ...What day is it? *sees the calendar* I've been trapped in there for three months. *glowers at the two* Who put all these files in here when I was scrubbing it?_

_SZ:...uh…_

_Z0: Talk to the janitor._

_SZ: Ahem! Anyways...before we begin as usual, we own nothing aside from original content._

_GT: It was you two, wasn't it?_

_Z0: *performs hand sign and vanishes in a puff of white smoke and wind* _

_SZ:...*beams out*_

_GT: …*pushes a button and a raid siren went off* I've released Siren Head and Slender on them both. *fades away*_

_Z0: *comes back with red eyes of rage* You let who into my home? NOT IN MY HOUSE THEY WON'T! *turns into a far worse creature of nightmares and rage with eyes of hell fire* _

* * *

X blinked as once again Aruto's office was empty. However, unlike other times, the one left behind to hold down the 'fort' as Aruto often called it was Roll. ...Which is what made for this awkward moment here today. Normally, with Rico, she explained whatever today's insane project Aruto had to overlook for the company - be it of his choice or certain others making him in the hopes he would screw up. However, X still had trouble starting up casual conversation with Roll, so now he was just standing there...only, unlike Roll, he could display the awkwardness plainly on his face.

"Ano…" X began, getting her attention from her organizing paperwork for Aruto to sign, "Uh...ehehe...so...what is Aruto up to today?" he finally asked.

"Aruto-shachou is partaking of a excursion to see how one of our new Reploids is doing." Roll explained.

"I...figured. What kind of job does this model...do?" X asked with an awkward chuckle.

"Tour guide," Roll replied.

"Tour guide?" X repeated.

"At the moment, she is being tested on how she can handle what humans term the stage of their life cycle between the ages of thirteen and eighteen as 'teenagers,'" Roll stated.

"...And you're not with him because…?"

"Aruto-shachou ordered me to remain while Rico accompanies him to have her experience it as well," Roll stated, "I have already spent enough time around them several years prior to have enough data."

'_...I think Aruto left you here so that we wouldn't get complaints from parents that their kids now fear brooms,'_ X thought as the awkward silence resumed.

* * *

"Ah! Look at all the green!" Aruto cheered as a bus drove down a highway which went through a forest, Aruto himself was almost pressing his face against the window to see the almost endless expanse of trees and nature, "I love traveling! You see so much neat stuff you can't find in the city!"

"You can?" Rico asked, wearing a white and teal sundress instead of her normal uniform to not blatantly stand out on Aruto's asking/pleading.

"Ah...Rico, is this your first time out of the city?" Aruto realized.

"Uhn," Rico nodded before pouting, "The Vice President didn't like leaving the city, let alone the office unless it was for a place to eat or his home."

"That sounds about right…" Aruto mumbled, "But...well, I guess this will be a new experience." he smiled, "I love trips like this out into nature. It helps you...well…we humans call it 'unplug,' since we have become so used to technology and modern conveniences."

"Ah," Rico nodded before looking at the front of the bus to a young lovely looking female Reploid in a tour guide uniform, "Still, we're also evaluating how Anna-san is doing at this job she was designed for. This is her first time giving teenagers a tour."

=I am Anna. I will act as your guide and provide historical data on your journey= Anna spoke, speaking through the bus' intercom =Hopefully, I can make this trip more enjoyable=

"Oh, right," Aruto whispered before holding his hands up over his eyes like a pair of binoculars.

"What are you doing?" Rico asked, blinking twice.

"Observing," Aruto replied.

"..." Rico tilted her head before following his lead.

=We are now approaching a site of great historical significance in recent history= Anna continued as the bus drove by a large, gated flooded city =The remains of Daybreak Town, a monument to a tragic day and was one of the final times anyone saw the infamous Dr. Albert Wily=

Aruto lowered his hands at that, hearing that name making him think of and remember many things from the past. Aruto never really knew or met Wily, but he heard of him from his grandfather and Dr. Light. Rico tilted her head and lowered her own hands before noticing a young teenager nearby holding his hands tighter while looking at the floor.

=The Japanese government worked primarily with Hiden Intelligence and several other companies such as Zaia Enterprises and Frontier Media to create an urban development run by Reploids. It was also the launch site for the control satellite that would come to govern the Reploids, among a variety of other projects= Anna explained =However, sabotage caused by Dr. Wily with an unusual virus he created known as Roboenza caused an explosion in the R&D Sector, which would eventually spread to the power infrastructure. By the end, the entire city was destroyed and Dr. Wily was presumed deceased. It was an unprecedented disaster= she continued as the bus stopped, the driver opening the door to let them step out, "Eventually, this event would come to be known as 'Daybreak.' And even now, years later, access beyond this point is strictly prohibited."

Aruto looked out at the lake which had formed with a sigh. He knew the event in question well. He was there when it happened...and when it claimed the life of his father.

"Question!" one student spoke, "What really caused the explosion in the factory?"

"Hmm?" Anna blinked, the group unaware of a figure slipping behind the bus, "It was believed that it was a Reploid that was infected by Wily's Roboenza Virus," the figure tapped a ZetsumeRiser and ZetsumeKey to the window, getting the driver's attention.

"I know what really happened!" another spoke up before grabbing the young man from the bus, "It was all Go Sakurai's dad's fault! He was in charge of the factory, and he let Wily just waltz in!"

"Back off!" Go snapped as he pushed him away, only for another to grab him.

"Yeah! His dad was a co-conspirator with Wily!" the other student laughed, he then cried in a sharp high pitched tone as the bus suddenly exploded behind them.

Everyone turned to see the bus driver walking out of the flames with the ZetsumeRiser on his waist, his eyes and earpieces glowing red.

"Connection to MetsuboJinraiNetto established...glory to our lord," he whispered, clicking the ZetsumeKey before slotting it into the belt and pushing the button.

**=̶̫̘͉̻̭̲̀͆̊͌͘O̷̥̙͍̻̳͕͐N̶̖̝̈́̀̒́̎́͠Ý̷̫͖̲̘̑͌͋̿̅͝C̴̜̬͉͙̒̄͛̀̿H̷̫̘̜͙́͒̉ͅO̸̭̯̥͒̀͛̏̉!̴̲̭͎̗͚̰̩͊̈́͊̄̉̇͝ ̸̨̝͉̫̦̇̿͝͠ͅŹ̷̢̛̙̰̩̫̖̼̄̿̕E̵͎͓̺̘̪͂̅T̸̡̛̈́̏͌̈̊̓S̵̮̫̺̟̩̖̔́̆̂́̄Ủ̶̡̥̮͕M̸͈̲̬̚Ę̴̬͔̙̣̻͓̓̀̋R̴̩̬̥̮̱͚̦̽̓̒I̴̪̾Ş̴̢͕̽̎E̸̢̛̠̥̬̪̒̾̑̒͝͠ͅ=̷̲̳͉͔͚̟̈̏͆͊**

His human like form melted away as his skeletal structure was morphed into its new form. He looked like a regular Trilobite, only his armor changed, he had purple chest armor, his fingers ending in claws, large bat like wings attached to a small propulsion pack in the center of his spine, he had large blue lenses for eyes, purple armor forming a fanged mouth guard with a snout like nose.

"Oh not again," Rico squeaked with wide eyes.

"**Exterminate all humans…"**

"Run!" Aruto ordered, getting in front of the students as he guided them away with Rico and Anna.

Meanwhile, no one noticed Jin sitting on the wall of a building that was connected to the dam that held back the lake. He smirked, kicking his legs back and forth, "That's right! Get them off our lawn!" he laughed, falling back as he kicked his legs more, "Show those humans who's boss...uh….hmm...Razor Onycho? Talon Onycho?"

* * *

"Hm?" X blinked as he got an alert, "What? Already? It's not even noon yet…"

=X, we got a Maverick signal near Aruto's location= Alia spoke through X' communicator =...It's...It's near the remains of Daybreak Town=

"That far away?" he asked, "Alright, this one can't be a random attack." he spoke as he began running, "I'm on my way!"

=Good= Signas spoke =And be careful. A.I.M.S is approaching the same location as we speak=

* * *

"Why is it herding teenagers seems about as hard as herding sheep!?" Aruto complained as the Onycho Maverick kept chasing them at a leisurely pace, "Come on! You're, like, in middle school! Why is running so hard for all of you!?" he muttered, helping a few boys up, "Oh god...I'm turning into my Grandpa…"

"**Exterminate!" **Onycho spoke as he caught up to them, turning to Go as he tripped and fell over, **"Exter-Gah!"** he cried as a bullet struck him, making him back off. He then grunted as a man in a familiar blue military uniform ran up and slammed his knee into him.

"Fuwa-san?" Aruto blinked, seeing Isamu.

"I'm gonna kick your ass…" Isamu spoke as he shot Onycho again, making him stumble back.

"L-Language!" Aruto called out, pointing to the kids.

"Ass…" Isamu spoke again as he shot Onycho.

"Oh if these kids repeat anything you say, Hiden Intelligence is going to be filled with angry parents…" Rico muttered, helping Go up.

"Ass…" Isamu spoke again as he ducked under Onycho's punch and kneed it in the abdomen, making him stumble back.

"You're doing it out of spite now…" Aruto sighed.

"Eeyup," Isamu aimed and shot the Maverick point blank in the chest, knocking him over, he then pulled out his key and grunted as he once again forced it open just by pushing on it with his thumb, showing how much stronger he was getting, once he opened it, he clicked the button and inserted it into his ShotRiser.

**=BULLET! SHOTRISE! SHOOTING WOLF~!=**

Isamu roared, punching the bullet as his armor formed around him. Vulcan took his place as he holstered his gun onto his belt. He rushed and punched Onycho across the face once before grabbing him by his wings and swinging him around and slamming him through a tree. The Maverick groaned, pushing himself up only to look up as Vulcan swung the top half of the tree like a club and slammed it down on the Maverick.

"...Okay. Is he…" Aruto began before X -already in his armor- appeared next to him via a beam for light, "AHH! DON'T DO THAT MAN!"

"Sorry," X apologized before looking out at the scene, "Alia, Commander, I see the Maverick in sight...and it's not another of the missing Reploids."

"Get up…" Vulcan spoke, dragging Onycho up to his feet before punching him across the face making him stumble back, "You can rest when I've torn you into scraps for the junkyard."

"...I think Vulcan has this…" X sweatdropped.

=We…see that= Alia and Signas muttered before a warning signal went off.

=?! X, there's another Maverick signal near you...and it's approaching you fast!= Alia shouted.

"Another one so s-" X began before he quickly jumped back, narrowly dodging a large mace that slammed into the ground as it left a sizable crater, "?!"

"Heh….Agile was right...he knew you'd come here, X," Violen's voice spoke as the mace retracted back, the large burly Reploid stomping into the area as the mace reconnected to his back.

"...Another X Hunter?" X ased, a serious look on his face as he aimed his X Buster at him.

"Yup! Name's Violen, the muscle of the X Hunters," Violin grinned, cracking his knuckles a bit, "And I can't wait to crush you like a tin can!" he roared out, sending his mace out at X again.

"?!" X tensed as he rolled out of the way and fired a few shots at Violen, only for it to bounce off his armor, "What?"

"Heh-heh-heh. My armor's way too tough for your puny little lemon pellets," Violen chuckled, patting his chest.

"Wah...talk about Macho…" Aruto awed, flexing his arms as Rico gave him a deadpan look, "Oh come on! It was right there."

"Another one?" Vulcan blinked as he held Onycho in a chokehold, "Oi, Reploid! Trade with me!" he shouted, spinning the Maverick around and sending him towards X.

"Wh-ahh!" X yelped as the Maverick crashed into him.

"Wh-?! Oi! He's mine!" Violen snapped as Vulcan's shots bounced off him, making him look over his shoulder at him, "...Oh you want a go, little man?"

"I'll kick your double wide ass, macho-gorilla!" Vulcan snapped back at him as he charged while shooting.

Violen raised his arms and let each shot bounce off his armor. He lowered it, only to blink as he lost sight of Vulcan. He looked down too late to see the blue Rider slide under his legs...and grab the Maverick by one of them and force him to fall face first into the ground. Violen growled as he began pushing himself up, only for his hand to be shot and knock him off balance and fall down again. Vulcan grunted as he jumped and grabbed the trunk of a tree before climbing up with his enhanced strength. Once he reached the top, he jumped off and landed both his knees down onto Violen's back, pinning him down. Vulcan waited a moment and reached for his ShotRiser, but stopped when the ground shook. The Rider then grunted as he was tossed off by Violen turning over. The Maverick growled, pushing himself up and swung as Vulcan kept ducking around each swing.

"You got power...but you're slow!" Vulcan growled as he jumped back while shooting at Violen, "And I have confidence in my stamina outlasting yours!"

"...heh," Violen smirked before throwing his opened hand out, making Vulcan tense up a bit before he dodged an array of energy bullets fired from Violen's fingertips, "You're not the only resourceful one here, punk!" he laughed as Vulcan prepared to fire, only to cry out as the large Maverick's mace crashed onto his back, sending him crashing through a tree, "You may be fast, but no one can match my strength and defense!"

"Wow…Talk about flexing one's ego," Aruto noted.

"Grr…" Vulcan growled, getting up, "That all you got, Macho?"

"...Oh I'm gonna enjoy breaking your skull with my hands," Violen grinned.

"And I thought Vile was violent," X muttered, dodging a flying swipe from Onycho before trying to fire out at him, only for the Maverick to fly out of the way, " He's too fast...Zea, I need Homing Torpedo!"

**=Acknowledged= **Zea answered as a beam of light shot down from the sky and hit X, the light fading to show his armor a more grey-ish and tan color.

"Homing Torpedo!" X shouted as he fired a few missiles at the Maverick, who began to fly off as they began to chase after it...only for the Maverick to turn and slice them in half, "Tch...not good…" he looked at Aruto for a moment before sighing, "I'm gonna regret this but...Zea, I need Storm Tornado."

"Wait, what?" Aruto blinked upon hearing that, _'But...isn't that Storm Eagle's move?'_

**=...Affirmative…= **Zea compiled as another beam of light hit X, changing his armor to a more purple and light pink color.

"Everyone...you might want to hold onto something!" X shouted as he raised his Buster up, aiming at the Maverick.

"?!" Rico tensed, grabbing a confused Aruto before grabbing onto a nearby tree.

"Almost...there! Storm Tornado!" X shouted as he fired, unleashing a large tornado at Onycho.

The Maverick tensed as the tornado hit, grunting as he tried to stay in place in the air...only to cry out as the tornado sent him flying off far into the sky with sparks coming off of him.

"Whoa!" Aruto shouted as the winds were so strong, it would have pushed him around had Rico not grabbed onto him.

"...It worked….but it got away…" X whispered, the tornado dying down as he lowered his X Buster.

"Okay...That move seems _way_ too overpowered!" Vulcan complained, having nearly lost his footing during his scuffle with Violen.

"Really glad I had sandwiched myself so tight…" Rico mumbled, releasing Aruto and the tree, revealing a small indent in the bark shaped like her arm.

"I'm...done...with amusement park rides after this…" Aruto groaned, falling over.

"...heh. Least I can get back t-" Violin began before some shots deflected off him, making him turn to see Valkyrie running into the area, "Oh great...it's Cheetah Girl, too…"

"Damn...I thought I ditched her half way down the road…" Vulcan groaned.

"You and I are gonna have a talk after this…" Valkyrie stated, glaring at Vulcan before looking at Violin, "And Maverick in violation of the Artificial Intelligence Act detected…"

"Heh...Well good luck! My armor is too strong for your bullets, too!" Violin laughed.

"It talks like every annoying toxic masculine man ever…" Valkyrie muttered to herself, "I'm gonna hate this day _so_ much…"

"I heard that!"

"Oh good...It's able to listen to others just to complain...It's like another Fuwa…" Valkyrie shook her head.

"Da hell!? I am nothing like this tub of heavy junk!" Vulcan shouted while shoulder checking Violen, taking him by surprise and pushing him away.

"Grr...Now this is starting to get annoying! I came for X...not you guys _and_ him!" Violen snapped as he got up, glaring at the three far-ranged fighters, "...Screw it. X, we'll settle it another time! That includes you too, puppy boy!"

"Puppy boy?!" Vulcan snapped as Violen slammed his fist onto the ground, propelling him high up into the air as he leapt off, "Who the hell you calling 'puppy'…?!" he growled while looking up, "Woman! Find him!"

"You…! ...Ugh. Nevermind," Valkyrie sighed, dismissing her transformation as Vulcan did the same.

"...Alia, I…" X began.

"I didn't want this…" everyone turned to see Go sitting down against a tree, his head hanging low, "Why….Why do I have to go through this? Why does my family have to be cursed by that damn Wily?!"

"Eh?" Isamu blinked.

* * *

After that event, and calling another bus to come pick up the students, Aruto offered to bring Go back to Hiden Intelligence to get the full story about all this. Thankfully, Isamu offered to drive them, in the process leaving behind Yua again… Personally, Aruto and Rico thought that was for the best. They make the room super awkward whenever they're together.

"Sakurai Go, son of the late Sakurai Satoshi, the head of the factory in Daybreak Town before the tragedy years ago," Roll spoke, reading a file on Go's father before handing the tablet she was reading to Aruto, "He was an exceptional employee that treated his coworkers like family."

"...They say my dad is the reason why Daybreak happened," Go spoke, "Everyone always tells me that he helped Wily cause it...that my family is nothing but a bunch of supporters to Dr. Wily...Since then, we've received nothing but hate and ridicule…that it's all my dad's fault."

"You're wrong," Isamu instantly spoke up, getting Go's attention, "It's not your dad's fault it happened. Wily caused the event to happen...the Mavericks are the ones who caused the damage." he stated simply, "They are machines that hurt people, machines that kill, they went berserk and leveled the factory. Your father had no control over what happened. Stupid people just perfer to think horrible things that are convenient to them...and ignore the truth."

"...Least my cousin Maylu can ignore it…" Go muttered, "No matter how much hate both our families get and accused for being Dr. Wily supporters, she manages to pull through…"

"Hmph…" Isamu snorted simply.

"We have no records of either claims," Roll spoke up.

"Because Hiden covered it up!" Isamu glared at Aruto.

"I'm looking it up now…" Rico spoke, tapping her tablet as she began to search up the desired info, "Found it...It says it was a Reploid infected by Wily's Roboenza Virus...and yet…"

"Hmm?" Isamu paused mid snap at that.

"It feels like someone's trying to cover it up…" Rico noted.

"Just 'cause everyone agrees on something...does that really make it the truth?" Aruto asked in a thoughtful tone.

"...Roboenza...What is with that name?" Rico muttered, tapping on her tablet, "Seriously, it's a silly name. The effects are not silly, but the name is."

"You mean the rampaging," Isamu stated.

"No. It starts out like a human experiencing a flu, increased temperature, malaise, headache, sneezing, chills, cough, body pain, and a sore throat. But after twenty four hours, the personality of the Reploid changes to a complete desire for destruction and global domination," Rico noted, looking at the virus, "Dr. Light created a vaccine for it after that day with the first Reploid being treated after infection…" she blinked twice and looked at Roll, "...was DLN-002: Roll Light."

"Roll-san?" Aruto asked, standing up and looking at her.

"Twenty four hours?" Isamu repeated in confusion. He then walked off and left the office with a similarly confused expression as Aruto.

* * *

"I want to learn the truth!" Go shouted, catching up with Isamu outside, "I want to know what really happened that day. To my Dad...to everyone…" he breathed heavily from running to catch him.

"You really want to know?" Isamu asked, getting a nod from Go, he turned around with a frown, one that wasn't mad or upset, but one that seemed sad...and understanding, "So do I," he simply replied as he walked up to Go with a look of reassurance, "Let's learn the truth then," he sighed, giving a small yet still sad smile to the boy.

"...Hai," Go nodded.

* * *

"Fukuzoe...What caused the explosion at the factory in Daybreak?" Aruto asked Fukuzoe as X, Alia, and Signas were on a few nearby screens.

"...Why are you asking me this?" he asked, his tone already very nervous and concerned, "...and why are the Maverick Hunters…?"

"I asked the first question," Aruto replied simply and gently so as to not cause an escalation.

"...I'm afraid I don't recall…" he replied simply in a much more confident tone that seemed rehearsed, as if something meant to be said for any situation pertaining to this topic.

=...You're hiding something= Signas frowned

"Usso da…" Aruto sighed in agreement.

"Vice President Fukuzoe...Why are there no records of that day, let alone any files indicating exactly how the explosion happened. Or...if Mavericks cause it or not?" Rico asked, standing next to Aruto.

"It seems very likely a cover up was intentional," Roll agreed with the logic of the chance if was indeed a cover up by Hiden Intelligence.

"...I'm sorry. I don't recall," Fukuzoe replied, his voice shaking as he stood up and began to walk away.

"Usso da!" Aruto stood up, making him stop, "Now I know you're hiding something from me!"

"Shacho…" Fukuzoe spoke.

"Tell me what happened to our factory...President's Executive Orders…" Aruto ordered.

"I can't!" Fukuzoe snapped, "Sometimes protecting a company means keeping the truth in shadows...That's how business works."

"It's still an order from your superior...what happened all those years ago," Aruto replied simply, refusing to give up.

=I suggest you answer= Signas added, a serious look on his face as he scowled at Fukuzoe =Because of this cover up, it has ruined and destroyed the livelihood of Go Sakurai's family because of false tie-ins with Dr. Albert Wily=

"I'm sorry...I don't remember…" was all he could say as he walked out.

Aruto let out a very long breath as he made his way back to his desk and plopped down in his chair, the screens turning to face him as he did.

"I never thought acting like the boss for the first time would be so...hard…" Aruto scratched his head.

=It's never easy, but sometimes you need to be serious when it comes to situations like this= Signas sighed

"If Fukuzoe won't talk, and all our computers have nothing...where could we find the truth?" Aruto asked, turning to his window.

"Only a computer from Daybreak Town could have such information," Roll spoke up, making everyone blink and realize how simple and obvious that should have been.

=...Of course. If we can get someone to enter Daybreak Town, we might be able to look into this further= Alia spoke

=But the problem is...no one is allowed to enter Daybreak Town, not even the Maverick Hunters unless it's an emergency= X spoke

=...X, you and Aruto will lead a small team into Daybreak Town to find a functioning computer= Signas ordered.

"Rico...any chance we have a company boat?" Aruto asked.

"Six," Rico replied, "One custom made by Zea as well."

"By chance...can the president...use it whenever and for whatever?"

"Yes," Rico replied before becoming pale, "But Raiden is going to be _livid_ when he learns what he has to bring up to Zea later…"

"I got the boat!" Aruto cheered, "And...we'll deal with the hearing loss later…" he cringed, remembering last time he talked to this Raiden over the phone.

=Sir, are you sure this is okay?= Alia asked

=Yes….I might be the temporary commander, but…= Signas paused, bridging his fingers together as he looked out at the others =If it means looking into the truth behind the Daybreak Town incident...if there are any clues to what started the Maverick Outbreak, I'll take the responsibility=

"Me too…" Aruto added, "I need to know the truth...not just for my sake...but for everyone else who was hurt by that day." he stated with a serious tone and expression, "'Sides...If we say I did it...people will be way more mad at me then Signas!" he smiled.

=...heh heh...You are indeed one strange human, Hiden Aruto…= Signas gave a light chuckle =But right now is a time for action...X, go and meet up with Aruto=

=Yes sir= X nodded.

"Wait. Warn me before you do th-" Aruto began before X appeared next to him, "GAH! EVERY! DANG! TIME!"

=...Alia, tell Douglas and Pallet they may need to fix the teleportation system=

=On it=

* * *

The next morning, Isamu had taken Go along with him to Daybreak Town. Isamu brought along supplies for climbing, spelunking, diving, and other such things for exploration. He also brought a sturdy plastic raft to make it across the water. And for his own sake, his ShotRiser, and some extra weapons in his AIMS-issued transport van. Right now, he was currently looking over knives before picking one and sliding it into the boot of his combat uniform. He looked over the other things he brought along before grabbing more rope and a collapsed entrenching tool.

"Alright, I think that's everything," he spoke, shutting the back door and spooking Go out of his daydreaming, "Look, if you get scared...you don't have to come with me." he offered with a concerned expression.

"No...I have to find the truth…" Go shook his head.

"Alright...make sure you stay close and be careful. A lot of those old buildings could give way at any moment. Step where I step," he ordered as he gave Go his own smaller duffle bag of supplies.

"Hai," Go nodded, putting the bag on.

The two began walking, only to stop as Yua walked out and into their path, a very annoyed look on her face which made Isamu sigh in probably equal amounts of annoyance. Go just looked concerned, knowing that she worked with Isamu...and was well aware this was probably super illegal, which is why Isamu told Go to lie to his mother about where he was going today. And now another horrible thought entered the poor boy's mind as he tuned them out just as they began speaking.

"You're not authorised to enter here…" Yua stated simply.

"Apparently, I'm not authorised to do a lot of things…" Isamu replied with sarcasm.

"Is this a joke to you?" Yua asked, growing more annoyed.

"I am a simple guy. I do what I think and know is right," Isamu explained, "I know something is wrong here...and I think that the reason I'm still here after that day...is to help those who also were hurt by Daybreak Town. Like him…" he turned to Go, "People hurt by this place, this place that ruined their lives and don't even know why." he turned to Yua, "And he wants to find the truth."

Yua took a long moment as she processed all he said, "And I can't stop you."

"...I find saying nothing is my best response…" Isamu admitted.

"You are literally...impossible," Yua sighed with a look that seemed like a mix of understanding and mild annoyance if best explained.

"And I am proud of that…" Isamu muttered. Yua then walked up to him and handed him a grey ProgriseKey, it had the image of a Gorilla, and read: 'PUNCHING KONG Ability POWER', "What's this?"

"A word of warning…" she spoke with a sharp tone, "This ProgriseKey packs a real nasty punch. I doubt you'll be able to use it given you're just a normal person."

"Then why give it to me?" Isamu asked, confused and upset, "You're just contradicting yourself here!"

"Just try and remember what your job is, alright?" she responded simply.

"Today, I'm actually off the clock," he smirked, fixing his scarf around his neck as he removed his A.I.M.S badge from his chest. He then took the ProgriseKey and put it in his pouch-belt next to his Shooting Wolf key.

"...Just…Just go before I change my mind," Yua sighed.

"Too late...it's in my pocket." Isamu replied as he dragged Go along.

'_My Aunt would love to meet these two…'_ Go thought with a sweatdrop.

* * *

"Please find countermeasures for aerial opponents," Roll stated, her eyes flashing pink for a moment as the 3D printer in Aruto's lab went to work.

**=Fabrication complete=**

At that, Roll opened the door and pulled out a completed ProgriseKey. It was pink/magenta in color with the image of a Falcon mid-flight. It read: 'FLYING FALCON Ability: WING'.

* * *

"God damn it, Minato...I lend you the boat for one weakened and the motor is shot to hell...and I wish I meant broken…" Isamu groaned as he tried to fix the motor for the boat, "And is this...Nutella? What crazy things do you do on your days off, man?"

"Are we really going to learn anything out there?" Go asked.

"I can't say," Isamu replied, wiping out some more Nutella from the engine, "But we won't know unless we try." he sighed, "I'm putting Minato on bathroom duty when I get back to work tomorrow…" he stood up, "It's as good as it's gonna get…" he then stopped as he heard footsteps.

"**I-I-Intruder alert!"** Several Trilobite Mavericks spoke as they fumbled towards them, **"Exterminate! Exterminate!"**

"And here I thought exploring underwater buildings would be the dangerous part of my day," Isamu grunted, pulling out his ShotRiser and began shooting the Mavericks, making several fall over.

Isamu grunted and kicked another before swinging his gun and whipping a second across the face. He spun around and shot a third in the head making it fall over. He swung his leg and tripped over another Maverick before blocking a punch from another. He twisted and used its own weight against it to slam it into the one he just knocked over. He aligned their heads and aimed at their heads and fired off another round, striking both with the same bullet. He grunted and raised his arm to block a kick, making him roll back across the gravel beach. He stopped and aimed before shooting the Maverick that kicked him several times, leaving a line of holes up the center of its torso. He grunted and pushed himself up before reaching down and grabbing the knife in his boot. He flipped it up and grabbed it between his index finger and thumb, before flicking his wrist and sending the knife flying and hitting a Maverick in the center of its forehead, making it fall over.

"Whoa…" Go awed, "Is he actually even human?"

"**Exterminate…"** Go spun around to see one had managed to get around Isamu to get close to Go, **"...all humans."**

"Ah!" Go yelped before a blue sphere of plasma shot its head off, making Go look to see a black and yellow grasshopper-themed ship approaching, X's buster arm smoking from the charged shot fired at the Maverick.

"Ahoy~!" Aruto waved, piloting the boat over and quickly jumped off with X by Go, "You alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

"...y-yeah…"

"Shachou?" Isamu blinked as he shot another Maverick in the head, "What are you doing here? Trying to keep us from seeing anything inconvenient?"

"No...I want to learn what really happened!" Aruto argued, pulling out the ZeroOne Driver as he began to walk up to him.

"Ah! Matte!" Rico yelped as she tried to stop Aruto, "You need to protect your secret identity!"

"Aruto hates secrets unless it involves a surprise," X explained with a sigh, "I had a feeling he'd do this one day."

"Do you want to die? Get out of here!" Isamu ordered as Aruto walked up to stand beside Isamu...before the gunman noticed the Driver on Aruto's waist, "That belt…"

"As Hiden Intelligence's president, I promise you...I won't keep any secrets. You have my word," Aruto promised as he held up Biting Shark and clicked it before scanning it, "I'll prove that Reploids are the advancement humanity dreamed of!"

**=FANG! AUTHORISE=**

Everyone looked up as a blue beam hit the lake. After a few seconds, the Shark jumped out and began biting at the Mavericks, catching one and chewing it up 'till it was snapped in half by its jaw strength. Aruto swung his arms into the air, crossing them above him, and then brought them before him, flicking open the Progrisekey.

"Henshin!" Aruto declared as he inserted the key into the slot on his belt.

**=PROGRISE! KIRIKIRIBAI! KIRIKIRIBAI! BITING SHARK~!=** the belt announced as Aruto turned into Zero-One with the Shark turning into his armor **=Fangs that can chomp through concrete=**

"You're the Grasshopper freak?!" Isamu asked in shock.

"I'll handle things here," Zero-One instructed as he looked at the ship, where Anna was now sitting at the wheel, "Anna, go on ahead with them! It's your job to guide the guests to their destination, after all!"

"Yes, sir," Anna replied as she calmly motioned to Go to get on, "Right this way."

"Eh?!" Rico gawked.

"Think of it as testing her in being able to keep her cool in emergencies!" Zero-One replied.

"Eh?! But she...and you...and-GAH! No wonder Roll-sempai keeps a broom on hand!" Rico exclaimed, throwing her hands up in disbelief.

"I'm a handful!" Zero-One laughed as he charged and began swinging and slashing with his arm fins.

He spun around as he slashed a Maverick across the chest, sending him flying back. He swung back and blocked a Maverick before kicking it away. He pulled out his Attache Calibur and opened it before swinging while spinning around, knocking over several all at once. He flipped it around and held it upside down before spinning around and stabbing backwards, piercing a Maverick through the torso. He swung with his free arm and slashed another Maverick, sending its head flying off.

Isamu stopped as he watched Zero-One fight, his finger slowly moving off the trigger. He lowered his gun as he glared at the scene...but the glare wasn't aimed at Zero-One; it was filled with anger and confusion. But even he at this moment realized...maybe he could trust Zero-One. With a grunt, he ran back to the others.

"X, go with them! They might need someone good with computers!" Zero-One spoke as he grabbed a punch from a Maverick before spinning him around and swinging down to slash its neck.

"Understood!" X nodded, standing defensively before Go as he fired a few shots at some Mavericks, letting the teen get on the boat.

"Why does it look like him when he's a grasshopper?" Isamu questioned.

"It was made as a sea-based combat vehicle for Zero-One," Rico replied.

"This thing has guns…?" Isamu asked in a tone that sounded excited.

"I think so," Rico replied, inching away as she did note the excited tone in his voice.

"Dibs…" he spoke, tossing his exploration gear in and jumped in first.

"He is...a simple person…" X noted.

"Wait...it has weapons?!" Zero-One asked as he kicked a Maverick across the face, "You said we didn't have torpedoes!"

"Yes, torpedoes. You never specified if there were any other kinds of artillery," Rico deadpanned as Anna drove the boat off.

"Wait! It's my boat! I am supposed to shoot first! Ah!" Zero-One groaned, swinging his elbow back and smashing the mask of a Maverick, "Ah mou~!" he cried, jumping over the Maverick that charged at him next.

* * *

"I both hate and love this...On the one hand...he owns a weaponized boat...On the other...it's a weaponized boat!" Isamu declared as Anna drove the boat to one of the buildings poking out of the water, "We don't have stuff half this nice…"

"The hard part is going to be dealing with the one in charge of putting it back into Zea," Rico gulped, "He's as explosive as his mythical namesake..."

"This thing goes in space?" Isamu asked before slapping himself, "Calm yourself...you hate this company with passion…"

"We have arrived at the Reploid factory where the Daybreak Incident originated from," Anna informed, halting the boat by a gaping hole in the side of the structure, "Please exit calmly and safely and avoid any exposed rebar, wiring, and nails as we make our way into the structure."

"...Stay close. We don't know what could be hiding here," X advised, keeping his X Buster ready as he hopped out of the boat.

"For the record...I've never done this in an abandoned building...over water," Isamu spoke as he grabbed his gear.

"I have downloaded a blueprint of the factory in order to assist in guiding through the structure," Anna informed as they began to get into the building, "We are currently on the sixth floor. Our destination is on the eighth."

"Uh yeah...stairs are kinda...gone." Isamu spoke as he looked up the staircase...or what remained of it.

"Any other means of…" X began before blinking as Isamu already began climbing up the wall, he gawked as Isamu made it to the 8th floor and dropped a rope down for them, "Humans continue to surprise me with each day…"

"Can we really call him...human?" Rico argued, "What kind of human can free climb like that?"

"Oi, Robots! Help the kid up first, then I'll pull you up...one at a time...you things are heavy…"

"...We have names, you know," X muttered, moving Go over as he tied the rope around him, "Rope is secure."

"Hai," Isamu spoke as he began pulling him up, "Give me your hand…" he grunted pulling him up, "Alright good..." he smiled, pulling him up to solid ground, he smiled once more as Go regained his balance, "Okay, Robots." he sighed, tossing the rope back down.

"Anna first," Rico suggested, "She's our guide after all."

"Of course," X nodded, taking the rope before tying it safely around Anna, "She's good to go."

It took roughly ten minutes for Isamu to pull Anna up and then Rico. He prepared to toss the rope down for X before the blue Reploid jumped at the wall and began to climb up through hopping up it. Isamu snorted as he packed the rope away before they continued on. X's gem lit up and began to shine a light down the dark hallway, the only sounds in there being their footsteps and the dripping of water. Isamu prepared to go down to the right at a branching path when Anna walked ahead and stopped at the left path.

"This way, please," Anna spoke, motioning to the group to the left path.

They nodded in response as they began walking down the left path, staying close to one another until they came across what looked like a destroyed control room, debris littering the area.

"This is the Reploid factory control room, where the explosion originated," Anna explained.

"...and where Go's father worked," Isamu added.

"Hey, uh….There...There's no lingering Roboenza, is there?" Rico asked.

"...Rico, all Reploids have the vaccine installed prior to activation," X deadpanned.

"Oh...R-Right…" Rico chuckled sheepishly.

"How can a virus for robots linger?" Isamu asked, "Isn't it more like a computer virus?"

"The Roboenza virus was distributed through nanomachines inside of an aerosol form," Anna informed, "It acted like a human virus in terms of infecting and reproducing through utilizing 'cells' in a Reploid." X raised a brow, "In order to better inform anyone I am guiding in this area, I downloaded all related information that was available." she looked around, "I will begin searching for anything that may assist us."

"How are you holding up?" Rico quietly asked Go as the others began to search.

"It was here…" Go spoke, "It all happened here...in this place…" he looked around as if trying to imagine what happened that day.

* * *

"Ha!" Zero-One, reverted to Rising Hopper, shouted while slashing his Attache Calibur and knocking the last batch of Mavericks away. He pulled out Biting Shark and inserted it into the bottom of his weapon.

**=ProgriseKey Confirmed Ready To Utilize! Shark's Ability!=**

Zero-One swung his sword around as blue energy charged into the blade. The energy arked off the tip and formed into what looked like shark fins set up in a saw tooth pattern floating one atop of the other. Zero-One pressed the trigger as he swung up.

**バ**

**イ**

**テ**

**ィ**

**ン**

**グ**

**カ**

**バ**

**ン**

**ス**

**ト**

**ラ**

**ッ**

**シ**

**ュ **

**=BITING KABAN STRASH!=**

The energy fins slashed through all the Mavericks in one swing, before Zero-One swung down and bisected them all one more time for good measure. The Mavericks sparked and split apart from the slashes before exploding.

"Yosha! That's the last of them! Now to get my boat back and shoot a shot before Isamu does an…" Zero-One began before a plasma ball resembling fire slammed into the ground before him, "Gah!" several more followed as Onycho swooped down at him, "Aw come on! You again?!" another volley made Zero-One jump out of the way before he jumped at Onycho...who flew out of his max jumping height, "Ah! Oi! You…" Zero-One looked down to see the lake below him, "...You're despicable." he proceeded to yelp and splash down into the water, coming out a few moments later on land, "Ugh! Ptui! Gack! ...Oh wait. This is sealed. ...Did I just spit and splutter because I swallowed my own spit? Ew...It's all messy in the helmet now...Really need to see if this can be taken off like a normal helmet for when I do stuff like this..."

"Aruto-Shacho," Roll spoke as she fast-walked over to him.

"Gah! Roll-san, how did you get here so fast?!" Zero-One yelped, getting up quickly.

"Raiden will be delivering the boat and bike back to Zea later today," Roll informed.

"Oh shoot. Two in one…" Zero-One gulped before Roll presented the pink/magenta Progrisekey, "Ah! A new one! A bird? Guess I'm feeling pretty fly!"

**=WING! AUTHORIZE!=**

* * *

Aruto blinked as he found himself once more in the virtual space of Zea. He closed his eyes, worried about what persona would appear this time.

"ARU-CHAN~!" a voice cheered happily before he was bowled over in a tackling hug.

"GWAH!" Aruto yelped as the tumble ended with Aruto lying on his back with a giggling Roll wearing a pink and magenta tee and jeans with a feathery scarf on her neck sitting on him.

"Hi~!" Roll greeted.

"Ow, my spleen…" Aruto groaned, "...Oh wait. I'm not really here physically. ...Ow, my digital spleen…"

Roll giggled as they got up, "You're so silly, Aru-chan!"

"So Hopper is normal, peppy Roll...Shark is Cranky Roll...and Falcon is...uh...kid Roll?"

"Hm?" Roll pondered as she stepped back three steps...before pouncing in a tackling hug, "ARU-CHAN~!"

"Eh?! Didn't we just go through this?!" he asked as he was able to keep from falling over this time.

"Hm? What do you mean? We just met just now," Roll pondered, tilting her head.

"Masaka…" Aruto realized, "You're...a Bird Brain!"

***BOP!***

"Mmmm~!" Roll pouted as Aruto rubbed the large bump on his head from her broom, "Mou, you're a meanie!" she turned around and took three steps...before pouncing him in a tackling hug once more, "ARU-CHAN~!"

"Yappari da!" he cried in pain and annoyance, catching her once more, "...Okay...Just so this doesn't keep repeating…" he pulled her onto his back in a piggyback, "You're staying there."

"Oh! This is fun, wai!" Roll cheered.

"Hai, hai…" Aruto sighed as he walked over to the instructions for Flying Falcon and tapped them, opening it up, "It's a very strange day when I'm keeping watch of Roll-san instead of the reverse…"

* * *

Outside, Onycho flew at Zero-One once more...only for a large shadow to come over him. He looked up just before a massive robotic magenta/pink falcon rammed into him. It flew back and tried to grab Onycho with its talong making the Maverick panic. Zero-One flinched as his consciousness returned to his body.

"Yosh! Ikuze, Tori-chan!" he shouted, slotting the open ProgriseKey into his belt.

**=PRORISE! FLY TO THE SKY! FLYING FALCON! Spread your wings and prepare for a force=**

Zero-One's yellow armor opened up once more. His mask split open and slid back around his face with his antenna pointing backwards. A pink mask formed over his face while multiple strips of pink metal formed the appearance of feathers as gaps in his mouth plate formed the appearance of a beak, and his eyes now became a vibrant Green color. The armor on his chest split and moved to the side of his chest and his shoulders. The new armor looked like a pink arrowhead going down the center of his chest, with two plates of overlapping armor giving his chest piece the visage of a Falcon's head. Pink spikes formed on his shoulder pads like feathers, with two pink armor pads on his upper thighs completing the new form.

Zero-One looked up as he jumped...and flew upwards with amazing speeds, leaving pink lights with the angular appearance of computer circuitry. He flew around before tackling into Onycho, knocking him off balance.

"Whoo! I really am flying!" Zero-One cheered before tackling into Onycho once more.

"Have a safe flight, sir," Roll stated.

Onycho flew away but grunted, looking back to see Zero-One keeping pace with almost no issue. The Rider's flight speed picked up until he passed the Maverick, making it gawk in surprise as Zero-One held his hand out and grabbed a piece of metal from a demolished building, he used this to spin himself around and fly back at the Maverick to slam it with a kick to the chest. Onycho grunted and used its wings to fly back up, only to be tackled by Zero-One who began flying up high into the sky.

"Let's see who can fly higher!" Zero-One cheered his speed picking up until a sonic cone formed around him, indicating his breaking the sound barrier, "Yeah!" he cheered as Onycho failed to try and free itself, it's wings beginning to ice over from the atmosphere, while Zero-One seemed totally fine, "Going down!" he cheered letting go and kicking the Maverick making it fall back down, "I wonder how fast I was going?"

"...Mach 2 speeds…" Roll noted using a pair of binoculars to see Zero-One.

* * *

"Anything?" Isamu asked.

"Some motherboards from the computers, though there's damage from water and the weather," X replied.

"This place has been left alone for years…" Isamu sighed, "But maybe someone smarter can do something with anything we find." he offered a suggestion, "The woman...maybe she can do some of that nerd magic."

"It scares me whenever Yua shows up and talks with Alia," X admitted, "They always get this...look...in their eyes that makes me want to hide."

"You've seen it as well?" Isamu asked.

"You know what I mean?"

"Yeah...she gives me that look a lot. When I break her stuff...ditch her in the middle of nowhere...lock her in her lab…" Isamu listed, "She's a real pain, can you blame me."

"You are...a brave brave man…" X muttered, _'That or you enjoy messing with her for the giggles...either way, you scare me Fuwa-san.'_

"Oi, this big computer looks pretty...okay," Isamu spoke, crouching down and looking into the main monitor, "Almost no water damage or rust...just some cobwebs and dust...maybe if we can power it we'll get something?"

"Maybe," X agreed.

"Ah, I shouldn't have watched that horror movie with Aruto-Shacho last week…" Rico shivered as she stayed with Go as they looked around as well, "This place looks just like the scene of a really scary moment…"

"Please don't tell us what happened…" X gulped.

"You're robots...why would you be scared of a human killer?" Isamu asked, "If it was some kind of sentient car crusher on legs...well...that would be warranted."

"Because their abilities at times make absolutely no sense!" Rico replied, "Like that Freddy man…" she whimpered, "I refused to go into sleep mode for three days in fear my dream module could let him get into my head and offline me in it..."

"But what could they do to you?" Isamu pointed out clearly confused as to why they'd be scared of the same things as people, "I mean...humans die over anything, but you guys are made of metal."

"I do not want to be the one who proves that if you die in your dream module, you die for real!"

"I guess we just think the same way as you..." X muttered, seeing this was getting a little out of hand.

"Hmm…" Isamu replied, "I always hated the movie with that creepy doll…" he admitted as if...trying to have a conversation with them finally, "Even though now as an adult, I'm sure I could take it...as a kid, it made me hate dolls…I still find them real creepy now,"

"Aw, now this is touching," the group tensed as Violen emerged from around a corner with several Trilobyte Mavericks, "But I hate touching moments."

"Macho bastard…" Isamu growled, stepping forward.

"Violen...how did you get here?" X asked.

"Duh...We don't need to breathe," Violen pointed out as he looked at Go, "Hm? Oh, this is amusing. You look just like that guy who caused this whole town to go nuts."

"?!" Go's eyes widened at that.

"What are you talking about?" Isamu demanded.

"He was the one who pushed the button! Not like it stopped anything; we're still around!" Violen laughed. As he laughed, Go tightened his hands grip, trying hard not to let what the Maverick was saying get to him.

"Teme…" Isamu growled, gritting his teeth, "What do you think human lives are...to talk about them like that…" he pulled out his new ProgriseKey and began pulling on it, "I won't...forgive…" he growled as the key began opening little by little, "...Your bullshit!" he shouted, snapping it open.

"He did it again," X noted in surprise as Rico cringed as she got Go over to Anna as they hid behind one of the larger chunks of rubble near the computers, "That is some amazing strength."

"Hoh?" Violen pondered as Isamu pressed the button.

**=POWER!=**

"Go!" Isamu called out, making everyone go silent, "Don't listen to this defective piece of junk...It's not your father's fault things went wrong here...If you don't believe in your father...then who will?!" he shouted, "If you turn your back on him here and now...then it's all over!" he strapped his belt on before slotting his ShotRiser, "Raise your head!" he held up the ProgriseKey, "And look forward...Henshin!" he shouted, slotting the key before removing the ShotRiser and aiming at Violen before pulling the trigger.

**=SHOTRISE!=**

The bullet that fired out of the barrel spiraled around, slamming into several Mavericks and knocking them away before coming back at Isamu. A tribal beat came from the ShotRiser as Isamu backhanded the bullet. The armor from before formed, only now both legs were white with his entire upper body now covered in black heavy armor. His chest plate was bigger with very large shoulder armor. His mask was framed by a black set of armor with red stripes along the sides that made it look like a gorilla's hair. His arms now covered in huge gauntlets that looked like closed metal fists at the ends, his hands exposed via small hand straps to keep the armor in place, heat escaping twin vents on each gauntlet as he slotted the Shotriser back on his buckle.

**=PUNCHING KONG~! Enough power to annihilate a mountain=**

"Enough power to...annihilate a _mountain_?" Rico gawked before looking at Go, "It said 'mountain,' right?" he nodded before she looked at Anna, "It said 'mountain?'"

"It did," Anna nodded.

"Oh, I'm not sure if I should be afraid that it's a true claim or worried that it's just bragging about how strong it is…" Rico groaned.

"Get him!" Violen ordered as the Mavericks opened fire...as Vulcan just marched forward, letting the bullets bounce off to no effect, "Nani?"

X took that opportunity to open fire on some of the Mavericks, knocking them over with some sporting new holes in their bodies. Vulcan roared, swinging his arm as he punched a Maverick with enough force to send its body flying out through a wall, its body falling apart in pieces once outside.

"Keep your head up...and always move forward!" Vulcan declared as he backhanded a Maverick, knocking its head off with the remains of said head flattened with an imprint of the gauntlet's knuckles.

Vulcan ran forward as he swung, his giant gauntlets hitting Mavericks and demolishing them with a single strike and sending them flying into others, letting X deal with any stragglers. He spun around and punched as his fist clashed with Violen's. Everyone flinched from the loud clang of metal...before Violen grunted as his arm sparked, making him stumble back.

"Ah! Maybe that statement was true…" Rico gawked, remembering how X's shots and Vulcan's bullets from the last encounter didn't even do a thing while Punching Kong was able to actually cause damage.

"The Gorilla is the true king of the jungle and the Kong is the greatest of them all!" Vulcan spoke, lifting Violen up and punching his chest multiple times, making sparks fly.

"..." Go looked around before blinking twice, "Eh?" he knelt down by Rico's foot and picked up a memory card with 'HIDEN' on it, "What's this?"

"Memory Module for a legacy Reploid located," Anna noted, looking at it before plugging it into her right 'ear,' "Now accessing data."

"Nice find!" Rico patted Go's back.

"I...I did it?" he blinked a few times.

Everyone then flinched as the wall suddenly broke down as Zero-One and Onycho flew in, still wrestling with one another.

"He's pink now?!" Vulcan gawked.

"Lightish Red!" Zero-One snapped as he elbowed Onycho across the face before tackling him into a wall.

Onycho struggled with Zero-One before spotting Anna. Onycho released Zero-One's left arm, taking a punch to the face, but let him swing the arm that had been holding Zero-One's out and let out tendrils that struck Anna in the back.

"Anna!" Rico gasped.

Anna gasped as the virus began uploading. It's effect worked rapidly as her human form was burned away, her face covered by the mask of the Trilobite Mavericks. Her head pieces flashed to red while her arms reached for Go and Rico...but stopped.

"Go!" Vulcan called out in concern as he took his ShotRiser and aimed, but stopped as he noticed Anna's headpiece...was flashing between Red and Blue rapidly...before stopping on...Blue.

"Blue?" Violen pondered.

"Eh...That's...never happened before…" X lowered his cannon in equal shock, "Did...did Anna resist the virus?"

"The duty of a bus guide is to share the history of a destination," Rico whispered, "Anna is so dedicated to it…"

"Now **p-playing**…" Anna struggled to get out as she turned to an intact wall, "...f-footage **from…**"

She pressed two fingers to her right 'ear.' A light shined from it before a screen formed on the wall from the light. From the speakers in Anna, the audio came in of sirens and Zea's voice while the video began to play of the room.

=_EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! This area is under…=_

_=This is Sakurai Satoshi, head of Factory 1, Reploid Production!=_ a man in a blue uniform walked into the scene as he began typing at the computer and checking anything and everything _=All the Reploids are going berserk after experiencing flu-like symptoms! At the current rate...the factory will explode if nothing is done!=_

"So...it really was the Reploids…" Vulcan lowered his gun.

"Tousan…" Go spoke as he watched with great concern, as if this scene from the past was happening now.

_=The employees should have evacuated by now...That just leaves…= _Satoshi spoke before a mad laugh entered the speakers as the screens of the computer flickered and changed to show an elderly man with large grey hair with his head balding in the middle and a bushy mustache _=Dr. Wily!=_

_=Hahaha...ah...Finally, this beloved Factory of Hiden Intelligence, Hiden and Light's beloved passion project, all mine for the taking!= _Wily laughed.

"That's Dr. Wily?" Rico pondered in surprise, "...Huh...I thought he'd look...different."

_=I won't let that happen!=_

_=Hm? Oh how amusing. Seems someone stayed behind=_ Dr. Wily noted.

_=You...You caused this!=_

_=Indeed I am! This is a neat little virus I've been working on. A legacy of sorts=_ Dr. Wily chuckled _=Any machine that intakes it...well, you've seen the results so far, hm?=_

_=If those Reploids get out into the city...the world…_=he paused =_Go…=_ he looked down at a picture on his desk, showing him standing next to a woman while holding a newborn _=...If the Virus doesn't spread...Light-hakase can make a countermeasure...to prevent untold harm...I will destroy every Reploid in this facility!=_

_=What?!= _Wily exclaimed as Satoshi began typing away while the computer screen began to show blocks with numbers _=Wait, what are you doing?!=_

=_I'll shut all the bulkheads, every door, every entrance...so when the building explodes, they will be trapped within...the blast will melt them down...and the virus along with them=_ Satoshi explained =_With the time this will grant Light-hakase...he can create a vaccine to prevent this virus from ever infecting another machine=_

_=Rrrr! Light this, Light that! If he finds a cure for this, then I'll create another, stronger variant! You're just delaying the inevitable!=_ Wily snarled before he started to cough.

=_Maybe...but...If all I can do is make sure there is time for the next generation to grow up...to become smart...to replace us...then I can live with that. I'll be happy knowing Go can live...that someone else will rise up after Hiden-shacho and Light-hakase to protect our dream= _Satoshi declared with a defiant glare aimed at Wily, who finally stopped the coughing =_Then...I'll gladly take that chance! For the brighter future I believe in!=_

_=Why you...you…= _Wily growled before coughing again.

_**=Wily-hakase, go relax. I will speak to the human=**_ a distorted voice spoke.

_=F-Fine...I leave it to you then…=_ Wily spoke, walking away _=I have another part of my legacy to work on…=_

Stepping into the monitors in place of the elder was a strange-looking figure. Despite the lightning, all that could be made out were jagged bits of armor and a pair of glowing yellow-gold bug-like eyes.

_**=Ningen...You have managed to work up Wily-hakase to a point that only the like of Light-hakase and Hiden-san or Mega Man and Ichi-Gata could=**_ the figure noted as Zero-One looked at X in surprise as X's eyes widened.

=_And you are…=_

_**=The first...Maverick…=**_ the figure introduced himself _**=I...am the leader of the Maverick crusade...the first character...of MetsuboJinrai…=**_

"Metsubo…" Zero-One repeated.

"...Jinrai…" Vulcan finished, his free hand's fist tightening.

_**=Even with the Bulkheads closed...it can't contain all of them...some will escape=**_

=_You're right…= _Satoshi spoke =_But...the reactor for the factory has a manual override...which I can set to self destruct sooner=_ he opened a glass shield revealing a red button, =_We had it installed...incase such a horrible event ever occurred such as this...with the hope that it never be used=_

_**=You will die alongside them…=**_

_=Maybe...but I will live on...in my family, something I don't think you understand=_ he replied as he sat down in his chair.

_**=Family…=**_ the figure repeated with some sort of morbid curiosity _**=Hmph…=**_ he nodded simply as he cut the video.

Now alone, Satoshi looked at the button before pushing it, more warning lights going off as he sat back as best he could, explosions already audible in the distance and through the walls. The man let out a shuddered breath, clearly...while he knew he did the right thing, in his heart he held many regrets, all relating to the thing currently most beloved and precious to him.

_=Go…= _was all Satoshi said as the flames covered the screen and the footage ended.

"**Updating database** on D-Daybreak Town…" Anna spoke as Go started to choke back sobs.

"He...He wasn't a traitor…" Rico whispered, wrapping an arm over Go to comfort him.

"He stood against them all by himself, to stop the Reploids infected by the Roboenza virus…" Zero-One spoke before looking at Go, "...Your father...He was a hero!"

"Tousan…" Go sobbed as tears streamed down his face.

"...Tch...Man, that was boring," Violen snorted, "The explosion was pretty nice, though."

"!" Vulcan growled as he turned towards the Maverick, "Mavericks…This never would have happened if not for them...you...the pain you bring…" he growled as the red lines on his armor began glowing, his eyes flashing, "I won't let you hurt another family!" he roared loudly, shaking the building, before pressing the button on his Progrisekey once more.

**=POWER!=**

Onycho used the lowered guard of Zero-One to quickly sucker punch the Rider and flew out of the hole. Zero-One stumbled before glaring at the fleeing Maverick and flew out after him. As he flew after Onycho, Zero-One pulled out Rising Hopper and began to repeatedly swipe it over his belt.

**=BIT RISE! BYTE RISE! KILO RISE! MEGA RISE!=**

"Oi...what is this…?" Violen asked confused, "It's like their power is rising higher and higher…?"

"Grrr!" Vulcan aimed as his ShotRiser was framed by both of his gauntlets, the vents on the back igniting once more as they began glowing, "I'm going to turn you into scraps!"

**フ**

**ラ**

**イ**

**ン**

**グ**

**メ**

**ガ**

**イ**

**ン**

**パ**

**ク**

**ト**

"Ha!" Zero-One roared, flying after Onycho, "Omae o tome rareru no wa tada hitori, ore da!" he shouted while tapping his ProgriseKey in.

**=FLYING MEGA IMPACT!=**

Zero-One grunted as wings formed from his back. With these, he flew faster, reaching max speed as he became a pink blur that attacked Onycho from every possible angle, knocking him around before tearing his wings off. Zero-One shouted as he landed a scissor kick that let him catch the Maverick and bring him with him as he dashed at his maximum speed. He grunted and twisted his body around and released Onycho, sending it tumbling through the air. Zero-One roared, swinging his right leg with a powerful roundhouse as he left a pink streak of energy with the swing of his leg. The kick struck and tore through Onycho, his body splitting apart and exploding violently.

**パ**

**ン**

**チ**

**ン**

**グ**

**ブ**

**ラ**

**ー**

**ス**

**ト**

Vulcan roared, pulling the trigger of his ShotRiser as the gauntlets detached from his arms.

**=PUNCHING BLAST!=**

The glowing gauntlets struck Violen and began pushing him back as he tried to resist their power. His arms sparked as he overexerted his own body's power. His arms finally gave out as the gauntlets struck his chest and carried him up into the sky before the energy of the attack caused a massive explosion. The gauntlets flew back to Vulcan as he let them reconnect to his arms. Violen groaned, falling down as Vulcan waited below him, the thruster on his right arm igniting as he punched up with an uppercut and struck Violen just as he fell.

"ONORE, VULCAN!" Violen screamed as he was sent into the distance, becoming a twinkle in the sky.

"Sugoi power…" X whispered before a clattering made him look down to see a disc, "..." he picked it up and put it away on him to give to Alia later, "There's still one thing left…"

"Ah," Vulcan nodded as the two turned to Anna, who had fallen to her knees and was unresponsive.

"Whew! Okay, I've calmed down now! I'm feeling fly once more!" Zero-One noted as he flew back in.

"You fly like Peter Pan…" Vulcan replied bluntly, making Zero-One flinch as he took it as an insult.

"...The Maverick Hunters would like to bring in this one," X informed, motioning to Anna.

"AIMS requests to examine the Maverick as well." Vulcan added, "We will examine it's memory core...the Maverick Hunters can take its central processor and see how it was able to resist the virus…" he offered.

"Ah! That means Anna could help make a vaccine for what MetsuboJinrai is doing!" Rico gasped, moving enough that it made Go turn a bit and his eyes to widen.

"Look out!" Go called, managing to tackle over Rico...before a segmented tendril ending in what looked like a scorpion's stinger to strike Anna in the chest, the path it had gone would've resulted in it having to go through Rico's head had Go not knocked her over.

"Ah!" Zero-One gasped as Anna began to glow purple...before she began to fade away into dust.

"Nani?!" Vulcan gasped before the tendril retracted just as fast as it came.

"Pursuing!" X called as he began to move in the direction the tendril had come from before the ceiling of that path collapsed, "Gh!" he looked up as there was an opening just wide enough for him to see who did it.

Standing in the hallway was...a...Kamen Rider. He, judging by his strong masculine build, was clad in an all purple suit. His body was covered in black straps keeping armor in place with the armor changing between black and a diamond plate gunmetal pattern. His left arm had a large black metal gauntlet that looked like a scorpion...with a stinger extending out over his hand, its sharp tip dripping a purple liquid. His head turned to look at X revealing his mask themed after scorpion claws framing his yellow eyes. His belt looked as though it was forcing a purple ProgriseKey opened.

"Kamen...Rider?" X spoke as the Rider stared at him.

"'Till next we meet...Megaman X…" was all he said as he walked off, the opening collapsing as he did.

Once the Rider was far enough away, he reached down and pushed in the black lever on his belt, forcing the Progrisekey to close. He grasped the key and pulled it out...letting his armor fade away and reveal...Horobi. Nearby, Jin skipped over.

"Well, that was nasty," Jin noted, "And we have a lot of new holes in the roof."

"I wanted a skylight anyway…" Horobi replied as he began walking, "I never expected the Hunters to be so quickly outpaced by the Riders...we'll have to look into heavy modifications."

"I knew Violen would be in deep poop when the gun said he could blow up mountains," Jin noted as Serges walked over.

"He kept asking if it did say 'mountain,'" Serges grumbled.

"Regardless, even if they know the old man caused this mess with his projects...as long as they don't know about the Ark, nothing will really get in our way," Horobi smiled.

"True. The Roboenza virus was an interesting attempt at an initial way of leaving a legacy," Serges noted, "It provided quite a bit for the Ark in that time."

"Ne, ne, Serges! Can we give Violen a violin?"

"...This is about his name, isn't it?"

"...Maybe…" Jin looked away.

"...Horobi, your son is being a fool once more," Serges sighed as he walked away.

"Children...are beings of potential," Horobi replied, "They are an investment in the future. If humans rely on them...it's for the best of Maverick kind...we learn to use them as well." he then grabbed Jin by his hood and pulled him away from some remnants of his armor's poison that had dripped onto the floor, "Don't touch that."

"Aw…" Jin whined as he was pulled away from it.

* * *

=Yesterday, Hiden Intelligence held a press conference, where they revealed new facts about the Daybreak Incident from twelve years ago= a Reporter spoke as the news feed was played on the News airships flying over the city =It was disclosed that they uncovered video surveillance proving the explosion was not caused by faulty maintenance and Wily having a spy within, but by sabotage caused by Wily working with MetsuboJinraidotnetto. The video evidence was recovered by the work of a pair of Reploid by the names of Rico and Anna, the latter destroyed due to being forcefully converted into a Maverick=

Go smiled watching from the street below while on his way to school. A picture of his dad appearing on the screen while the reporter continued to talk. He then blinked as the boys from the field trip walked towards him after seeing the video.

"Hey...uh...sorry…" one of them spoke up, scratching the back of his head, "That was kind of a...dick move on our part."

"Yeah...my mom beat me with a slipper after she saw the story…" another spoke, "We're sorry, man…"

"Yeah...your dad is a real hero," One more added.

"...Yeah. He was," Go nodded, looking on at the image of his father for a moment before he began to walk off, "Let's go…"

Aruto smiled as they watched from a pedestrian bridge, "Yokata…"

"I guess you meant it when you said you wouldn't cover anything up," Isamu noted.

"And you wouldn't have known the truth if you had destroyed Anna," Aruto responded, turning to look at him.

"If only we were able to save her…" Rico sighed sadly.

"Hmph...I guess you aren't so bad Hiden…" Isamu spoke, "I apologise for giving you such a hard time. I know now...you're just an idiot who got a crazy job."

"That might be the nicest thing you've ever said around us…" Aruto 'sobbed' in response before laughing, "Ah I don't mind, don't…" he flipped his hood up over his head, "Sweater it!" he chuckled, "Hai Aruto ja naito!"

Isamu twitched as he closed his hand and began popping his knuckles single handedly. His nostrils flared as he clenched his mouth shut. He walked off letting them think he was mad again before bursting into silent laughter as soon as he was far enough away.

"...ahh...X would've l-" Aruto began.

"A juxtaposition of the colloquialism 'don't sweat it' and a reference to the president's clothi-" Roll began.

"Gah stop! Please stop explaining the jokes! Aruto complained as Rico just giggled at the two.

* * *

"...Another part of Zero," Alia whispered, looking at the computer screen

"More Data?" X asked.

"Hai. It seems to be part of a three-piece set," Alia explained, "What you recovered was Zero's body while the one we've examined before were his legs…"

"...Meaning the X Hunters have the data for his head," X noted.

"Hai, but they wouldn't have been able to control him," Alia stated, making X blink, "The only part that seems to be missing is his Control Chip, and we have no idea where it could be hidden."

"But why do they have this data on them?" X asked.

"...that's what concerns me the most," Alia whispered, "From what you explained during the raid on Sigma's base, the last time you saw of Zero...was against Vile."

"..." X said nothing as his fist clenched up for a moment, remembering that day clearly, "...We need to get that last part from them, then find the Control Chip."

"But who could have what?" Alia asked.

"MetsuboJinrai…" X spoke, "The figure in the video...he called himself the First character...MetsuboJinrai is made of four Kanji...the Purple Rider...he must have the Control Chip."

"...Most likely," Alia guessed, "I'll have Pallet look into any data involving the chip...the hard part is finding this Purple Rider."

"If he pops up, I'll let you and Commander Signas know," X stated as he began to walk off, _'Metsubojinrai….just what are you planning?'_

* * *

_SZ: Well..talk about a revelation._

_Z0: *cleans hands* Well that's best left to be revealed to GT later, anywho, things are picking up for our story as we continue to construct a one of a kind story. _

_SZ: Eeyup, so to keep you in anticipation...preview time!_

* * *

**Jikai, Zero-One X Protocol!**

?: I don't need to draw anymore…the Reploids can take care of it for me

Rico: Wouldn't it be a problem for humans if their passion burns them up?

Aruto: Please give your manga all your passion, it's made so many smiles!

Serges: You cannot stop us...ze revival of our lord will commence!

X: ?! No…

Serges: Yes...and we need Zero to help welcome him back and lead his army!

Zero-One: I'll let the passion burn to! Moeru-ze Tiger!

**5TH ENTRY: His Passionate Manga Method!**

Horobi: It would seem we need _his _help…

* * *

_SZ: Thigns are gonna get fiery hot next time_

_Z0: Get ready for that chapter!_

_SZ: 'Till then, read and review folks!_


	5. Routine 5

_SZ: Hey folsk! Got another chapter for ya because...ho boy. Zero-One's final form is...wow_

_Z0: *left in shock coma* aaaa...so...awesome...aaaahhh…_

_SZ:...Yeah he's broken…_

_Z0: *slaps self* And I'm back! Ah...Zero-One why must you be such a great show...oh right...your written by the same guy who did Ex-Aid. And everyone knows, Ex-Aid was a great show and anyone who says otherwise...has either never seen it, or is lying through their dirty teeth like an unwanted bastard._

_SZ: Agreed...ahem! Anyway let us start! We own jacksquat aside from original content!_

* * *

Today was another normal day for Hiden Intelligence's CEO Aruto Hiden; he arrived and dealt with his board being...well...themselves. Then he made it in as Roll and Rico decided to help show him more of the business aspect of how Reploids are ordered and assigned for a task. Like all tech companies in the modern age, it all begins at the Website. This was actually the first time Aruto had ever checked out his own family company's website.

"Before picking a Plan from the website, the customer first chooses the occupation of their prospective Reploid," Roll explained as Aruto and Rico fooled around with the website.

"I never actually knew how this worked…" Aruto noted as they found what seemed to be a Reploid character creation menu.

"With the S+ Plan, Customers can select how their Repoloids look" Roll explained as Aruto and Rico fooled around with a slide bar too much, "This includes facial features and body types."

"Oh! There's even options to make them an animal, insect, or plant-based Reploid!" Rico noted.

"Whoa...Look at this goober…" Aruto laughed as he messed around with the options and made a green skinned humanoid male with his nose upside down.

"..." Rico tried to stifle a giggle as she looked at the image before she and Aruto got a broom to the head, "Ite!"

"Ow!" Aruto held his head, "I swear this is causing brain damage…"

"There are developer presets for customers with no preference," Roll continued, lowering her broom, "Also shachou, it's time."

"Already!?" he jumped up excitedly, making Rico blink, "The Client I'm going to meet today is my favorite Mangaka!"

"Mangaka…" she tilted her head and quickly looked it up, "A Manga artist...I never knew you liked those sort of things."

"Are you kidding me? Manga is one of the best inventions ever! It's art we read and tells a story...and most of the time action!" he cheered, "It's the best thing ever! It cheers you up when you're down, takes you on adventures as you feel what the hero feels, and makes you laugh like crazy other times!"

"It does?" Rico asked, blinking twice.

"Ah, the vice president has denied you a lot of experiences…" Aruto sighed, "We must correct this!"

"Eh?" Rico blinked as her hand was grabbed and she was dragged along with surprising speed.

"...if only he was always this punctual…" Roll noted, walking after them.

* * *

"Oh, I'm so excited~! I'm gonna get his autograph!" Aurto squeed in excitement as he carted a crate of sorts with the company logo on the sides with Rico helping him before a broom met his face, "Guh!"

"We are here for business today, Aruto-Shacho," Roll informed, walking ahead of them.

"I wonder if it's not too late to have you be the Bird Brain you…" Aruto grumbled.

"Bird Brain?" Rico repeated softly, looking back and forth between the two, "...I don't see it."

"It's complicated, Rico...and cut me some slack, Roll!" Aruto complained before looking up, "I grew up on Ishizumi Choichiro-Sensei's manga!"

"Ishizumi Choichiro-sensei…" Rico repeated, looking up the man's name.

"With over 100-million copies sold, it is a timeless classic that personifies the Shounen Manga Genre as they say," Roll explained.

"Dang right it's cl…" Aruto began before he stopped, gawking at the large mansion-like estate before them, "Woah! Someone lives here?!"

"I never understand why people with a lot of money live in places like these. It's like they want to make themselves targets for thieves and vandals," Rico noted, "Too many flaws in allowing one to bypass defenses to access without notice."

"...Why do you know all that?"

"The vice president has a blueprint for a mansion he's saving up to be made that he was going to implement if he had been made president," Rico replied.

"Of course he would…" Aruto muttered, "...But enough chit-chat. Let's get this delivered!"

"Eh?" Rico blinked before Aruto suddenly blurred ahead, pushing the package as if it was nothing, "..."

"Ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy!" Aruto excitedly whispered, moving a bit in place as the girls caught up with him. A few moments passed as the doors opened, "Good morning! I'm the president of Hiden Inte-"

"Sure...bring it in," a rotund man in an unbuttoned Hawaiin shirt stated, waving a fan on himself as he walked off.

"...Well that was rude," Rico muttered as she grunted while pushing the crate into the mansion.

"I want to personally thank you for ordering a Reploid assistant!" Aruto beamed as he walked after him.

"Yeah yeah yeah...just bring it in here," the man said as he opened a door.

As Aruto and the girls walked in...Aruto nearly dropped what he was holding as he looked around, seeing a variety of cut-outs featuring humanoid animals, marchandise, posters, computers, and desks to draw art on.

"...Eeeeee~! It's like a real Perfuman castle!" Aruto excitedly beamed, lowering the box down as he began to open it up, "I own every volume! and…" a broom met his face, "Again?!"

"Aruto-Shacho, do not forget we are here on business," Roll reminded.

"Huh? Oh...yeah…" Aruto muttered, opening the box and taking the out the packing, revealing a male Reploid in a button up shirt as Aruto took out a small remote, "Let me just bring him online," he said as he pressed a button, causing the Reploid's eye to open as they glowed blue for a moment before he got up.

**=Take off. Toward a dream=**

* * *

"...Grr…" Violen growled a bit, a dent on his chin while he sported a black eye.

"That's what happens when you underestimate your opponents," Agile stated, sitting nearby as he polished his katana.

"Oi! You're one to talk!" Violin barked, "You lost to that damn grasshopper when he turned into a shark!"

"Yes. I may have...made a calculative error there."

"Maybe you're just underestimating these Human Riders?" Jin suggested, lying upside down on a couch and playing with a paddleball, "Humans made Reploids...and the Mavericks are just stronger than them...so...why can't there be humans like that?"

"..." the two stared at Jin with surprised looks, surprised that Jin of all of them spoke logic.

"...Horobi, Serges, I want a Progrisekey too!" Jin shouted, rolling off the couch as he hopped towards the two as they were working at a computer.

"You have several Zetsumerisekeys already for Reploids," Serges replied.

"But Horobi has one," Jin noted.

"Yes, but if Horobi jumped into a volcano, would you do th...no, no, wait. I forgot who I was speaking to for a moment," Serges sighed, shaking his head.

"Our goal is the extinction of mankind," Horobi stated, motioning to a case holding a few Zetsumerisekeys, some being previous Keys that came from Mavericks destroyed by Zero-One and Vulcan, "That means the Zetsumerisekeys take priority. We need to gather combat data in order to restore the Ark."

"And to assist with that...we need Lord Sigma back," Serges added, "With his revival and Zero on our side, we can have all Reploids on the planet reawaken as Mavericks and begin the rebellion once more."

"But...we only have one Z Part left," Violen spoke up, "How are we gonna get Zero on our side when we don't even have the Control Chip and the other two parts?"

"Don't worry," Horobi replied, "All moves as Ark has predicted. As long as we follow the path Ark has laid out...Sigma-sama, and Zero...all will be brought back, to lead our armies to conquest and victory. While humanity goes extinct, Mavericks will evolve and rule."

"...Sooooo...Can I have a Progrisekey?"

"What did I just say?!" Serges demanded, "Bah...If you want a Progrisekey, then go find one."

"Hah? Mmmm...Oh, if I get one...can I get a belt like Horobi's?" Jin asked.

Serges snorted, "If you can actually get one, I vill make you one myself."

"Really?!" Jin smiled happily, "Yosh! You better get started then!"

"Jin…" Horobi stopped him, "Your target." he pointed to a computer.

"Oh! New friend!" Jin cheered.

"And to make sure you don't fail...and knowing X will be zere, I vill come with you myself," Serges spoke, grabbing a Zetsumerisekey with an image of a crab on it, "Zey have dealt with speed and strength..let us see if zey can handle the strongest defense."

"Okay~" Jin spoke, lifting his hands up as he raised his index and middle fingers and opened and closed them like crab claws.

* * *

"...Ano...shouldn't artists be...working on their own art?" Rico asked as she, Aruto, and Roll saw various Reploids working and drawing some pages.

"...Actually, sir. Do you draw your own manga anymore?" Aruto asked, looking at the rotund man.

"...Little Prez, are you and your robo girlfriends still here…?" he asked, "Shouldn't you be busy?"

'_Did he just notice we haven't left yet?!'_ Rico thought.

"...Hmm...oh! I've picked up the scent of evil...woof!" Aruto barked out, as if reciting a role before looking back at him, "I'm like the biggest fan of Perfuman Tsurugi!"

"Ugh...kid, I really don't draw anymore," Ishizumi groaned as he leaned back in his chair, "The AI all do it for me, alright?"

"Eh?"

"Their linework is always on point, and they never get worn out," he continued, grabbing a toy sword themed after a bone before slashing it.

"Gah!" Aruto 'gasped' out, holding his chest as he staggered back, "...Bi-Bebu~!"

"...Do you understand anything that they're doing?" Rico whispered to Roll, who simply stared at her, "...Right…"

"...Wait. That's probably why the art looks so different now," Aruto realized, walking over to a bookshelf and taking out one of the manga shelved there, "I loved the old art style. It was rough, but it had real passion!"

"Rough?" Ishizumi repeated.

"Ahh! I-I mean...it was so exuberant, it had a warmth to it!" Aruto corrected himself before one of the Reploids working fell over.

"Eh?! Seriously, again?!" Ishizumi complained, moving past Aruto as he looked at the downed Reploid, "He's been freezin' up all the damn time...Do you know how long it takes these things to learn all this?!" he groaned as he pushed the Reploid over, letting him fall to the ground hard.

"Chotto! Sensei!" Aruto called out in concern as he walked over. Aruto stopped as another of the Reploid artists stood up as if to say something to Ishizumi.

"...what is it, G-Pen? Got a problem?" Ishizumi asked, earning no response from the Reploid, "...Well if you won't sit, then go run errands, alright?"

"Hmm…" Rico knelt down to the collapsed Reploid, typing away at her tablet and holding it over the Reploid while G-Pen walked off, "Found it. Overuse of the motor systems at a RPM greater than their parameters are meant to handle. No wonder he's been freezing up. His systems are overheating without any cooldown periods."

"Developer Presets are designed with basics in mind," Roll informed, "The S+ Plan allows for customization of Reploids including modifications for greater abilities."

"Oh….can't I just get a replacement then?" Ishizumi asked.

"...Sensei, you shouldn't be pushing Reploids that far, a-" Aruto began.

"Of course I can. Reploids are just tools, aren't they?" Ishizumi argued in a bored tone.

"Ah...but are all your Reploid assistants the Developer Presets?" Aruto asked.

"Everyone but G-Pen," he shrugged, "I bought him with that S+ Plan...or rather, my editor did all that for me. Said I could use the help of someone who's arms won't get tired and can work without a break. After that, I just began buying the basic package so they'd get here fast."

"..."

"In fact...mind if I order another one since this one's battery crapped out?" Ishizumi asked, motioning to the downed Reploid.

"I shall take care of it," Roll spoke, "Your order has been made. We shall see of adding an enhanced energy core as well."

"Thank you…" Ishizumi nodded before patting Aruto's shoulder and walked off, "Have a good day, Little Prez."

Aruto said nothing as he stood there, a look of disbelief on his face. Minutes later, the trio exited the mansion, Aruto's face having a troubled look. Roll remained neutral to everything while Rico was just confused by it all.

"Thank you for coming," They looked ahead to see G-Pen walking up, carrying a bag in his hand.

"...I gotta ask. He still comes up with the stories at least, right?" Aruto asked him.

"Negative. The Editor is in charge of the story," G-Pen answered, "I offer ideas occasionally."

"...I see…" Aruto sighed.

"Huh?" Rico pondered, "So what does he do then?"

"I believe he calls it 'Supervising'," G-Pen answered.

"Hmm…" Aruto sighed at that as he began walking, "Thanks, G-Pen."

"Of course, sir," G-Pen nodded as he walked back towards the mansion,reaching for the handle before…

"Hey!"

"?" G-Pen blinked as he turned, seeing Jin approach him.

"You...who are you, again?" Jin asked.

"I am the assistant to..."

"Correction…" G-Pen turned before tensing, his body sparking for a moment as Serges lowered his arm, standing on top of a hovering platform, "You are our assistant now...Jin? Ze belt."

At that, Jin dashed forward and put the ZetsumeRiser to G-Pen's waist as the belt strapped itself on and the needles bore in. His eyes flashed as the connection was almost instant, the poor Reploid unable to resist the Maverick Virus taking his body from him.

"Connection to Metsubojinrainetto established! G-glory to Lord Sigma!" G-Pen exclaimed.

"Grab a Progrisekey for me, kay?!" Jin smiled as Serges slotted a ZetsumeRiseKey into the Riser.

**=̴̡̛̳̦̖̹͔̦͍̜̮͇̙̏̄͊̃̓̐̇̂̒̀͂̕̕͘P̴̡̺̮̠͎͇̳̠̝͙̖͓̰͍̃̾̿̒͗͒͛̈́̎E̶̢̛̞̥̪̱͔͕͔͇̯̊̓̌̓͆́͂̃̎͠R̵̩̳̙͚͉̝̱͉̦̜̲͋̒̽ͅB̴̢̧̩̗̭̹͖̠̈́̂͝͠͝ͅḬ̵̟̦͕̞̞̙̖̩͍̥̳̩̤͉͒̋̀̍͝N̴̛̞͙̯͈͇̲͔̮͖̦ͅI̷̡̢̻̱̱̯̼͈͙͓̾͒̚K̸̭̫̋͂̀͌I̶̢̨̠̺̠̹̟̱̦̣̮̓͒̈́͂͋̓͆̌̒̕̕͠͠A̴̘̹̓̆̀̎̆!̶̨̢̘̤̯̹̼̞̖̝̭̟̼̏̾͜ ̴̨͕͖̱̯̩̬͖̱̬̽̔̈́̏͜Z̴̼̮͚̺̬̥̗͚͙̘̣̦̺͙͕͊̎͂̈́Ě̶̫̰̟̫͈̗̖̤̯̳͕̯̲͕̔͋̌̿͌̍̕͝͝͝T̷̡̛̪͖͕̙̰͔̦̹̰̗͉̘̝̓͐͊S̸̡͚͉̟͓͓̼͙̹̺͙̈́͒͒̆͑̋͐̏̒̏̿͑͗͒͜ͅŮ̴̫̯̈́̽̀̃̎̌̏̿̈̕M̸̢̲̜̳͓̩͉̯̰̰͖̏̾̂̽̌̈́͗̀̍̔̕Ȅ̴͕͚̙̜͚̭̗̞̻͉̰̱̻̦̉̕͝R̵̗̜̯̳̔̄̿͊̅̿̍̊̕͝Ḭ̷͒͒͂̇̚S̴̨̘̳̩̤̱̏̂̇̽͗̐͊͒͐̓̒̅E̷̗͉̦̥̲̥͖̰͚̱͐̎̃͠=̶͎̮̪̆̽͑̿͐̑̚͝**

At that, G-Pen's body began morphing as the Key's data greatly overhauled his frame. The once tall G-Pen was shortened down to a shorter but broader frame. The armor finished reforming as his entire torso was now orange in color, he had no head as the face was placed on the chest of the Maverick. A Blue plate of armor formed over its 'forehead' with the symbol of MetsuboJinrai seemingly branded into the center, yellow armor formed a mustache on its face as another blue armor place formed its mouth, two antenna stuck out from the top of his head with glowing red orbs tipping each. His shoulder armor was yellow with two green spikes poking out of each, the outer spikes were larger and curved inward, while the second smaller spike curved outward resembling the claws of a crab, his arms were orange, with a spike extending from each elbow and white armored hands. He had short legs with the same orange armor covering his shins like boots. Vents along the side of his face/sides and back, expelled mist as his eyes opened and lit up.

"Welcome my new Crabby friend!" Jin smiled, doing the claw thing with his fingers again.

"Huh? Hey...what's going on?" the new Maverick asked as he looked around.

"Velcome back to ze land of ze living, Bubble Crab," Serges greeted, "W-"

"GAH! Where's my treasure?!" he freaked, making him blink as he began to blur around the place, "My gold! My Zenny! My rare Meyer Rubies! Where are they?! I didn't scam those ships and looted them for nothing!"

"You sound like a cartoon character from a show I streamed...quick! Call someone an idiot and try to scam a quarter out of kids to buy jawbreaker candy!" Jin laughed.

"JIN!" Serges barked.

"But he's just like him!" Jin argued before sighing, "Bored now…" he walked away and spotted Aruto, Roll and Rico, "OI! ZERO-ONE!" he shouted loudly to get the attention, for emphasis he pulled out his gun and fired up.

"?!" Aruto and Rico tensed up, making them and Roll turn to see who had fired.

"...Metsubojinrai…" Aruto frowned as Jin aimed at them with his pistol, "What are you doing here...what do you guys want?"

"Jin...rai...Metsu...bo…" he spoke slowly as he pulled back on the hammer of his pistol himself, he then turned to Bubble Crab, "Get him." he said...only for nothing to happen, "Oi...why aren't you attacking him? He's the Good guy, so you have to fight him."

"What are you nuts?! I ain't fighting him!" Bubble Crab argued, "Besides...I don't deal with scary guys anyway…"

"...Says the shorty," Aruto countered before yelping, moving the girls out of the way before barely ducking out of the way of a pair of energy claws that sprouted from Bubble Crab's shoulder spikes when he lunged at him.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP SMALLER THAN A DIME?!" the Crab Maverick snapped, "That's it! I wasn't gonna fight ya, but now I'm gonna hurt ya!"

"Hah…?" Jin asked in confusion, "Oi...Serges...what's wrong with this one? He has no natural desire to attack humans at all? Is...is he stupid?"

"No. Just really greedy…" Serges replied, "It is how our lord managed to convince him to join. We leave him alone, he gets to plunder treasures from ships out at sea...the only times he does attack is when someone steals his treasure, or mocks him for his size."

"That's weird...he's weird…" Jin replied.

"Yes...but also dangerous."

"Hah?"

"Woah!" Aruto yelped as he dodged another lunge, "I'm sorry, okay?!"

"No you're not, buddy! Now eat this!" Bubble Crab shouted as his face opened up, releasing a barrage of reddish pink and yellow bubbles at him, "Bubble Spray!"

"Bubbles?!" Aruto gawked as he rolled out of the way, letting the bubbles hit the metal fence...causing it to melt slowly, "_Acid _bubbles?!"

"Yup! You didn't think plundering ships is that hard for me, did ya?!" Bubble Crab laughed, "Now here's another helping, jerk! Bubble Spray!"

"Okay! I have had it…" he put on his belt and scanned his Rising Hopper ProgriseKey.

**=AUTHORIZE!=**

At that, the Hopper Rider Frame dropped down and kicked up debris that blocked the bubbles before jumping high into the air.

"Up to there!" Aruto pointed to the mechanical grasshopper, "With your attitude, buddy! Both you and your creepy friends!"

"Hi~!" Jin waved at that.

"Henshin!" Aruto declared, slotting the now opened ProgriseKey.

**=PROGRIZE! RISING HOPPER!=**

At that, his armor formed over him as the energy beams printed the yellow Hopper armor onto him. Zero-One's eyes flashed as he jumped over Bubble Crab and stepped off his head to land behind him right in front of Jin and Serges making them flinch and jump back. Zero-One smirked as he grabbed Jin's gun and released the clip and popped the bullet out of the chamber before giving the pieces back to him.

"You shouldn't play with those things." Zero-One taunted. He then turned around while pulling out his Attache Calibur. He dashed forward and jumped over Bubble Crab again before slashing him across the back making him stumble forward, "And the Keeper is out of range, and the shot is clear!" Zero-One narrated as he swung his leg back and kicked Bubble Crab like a soccer ball sending him flying and bouncing off the mansion and back at Zero-One who turned around and flipped up using an overhead kick that struck Bubble Crab and sent him down face first into the ground, "GOAL!"

"Ow! Why you…!" Bubble Crab growled as he shot up, his back opening up as smaller robotic crabs shot out and rushed towards Zero-One "Get him, boys!"

"Now I have both the desire to never eat crab again...and a craving for sushi!" Zero-One spoke as he jumped around, avoiding the drones, "I know who else likes fresh Crab too!" he spoke while holding up Biting Shark, "Same-chan!" he cheered, scanning the Key.

"Same-chan?" Jin repeated, "Mmm...Sounds like a grump…I don't want a grumpy one."

"Uh…" Bubble Crab blinked as he didn't notice the blue beam shoot into the pools of water along the sides of the path, "What was that?" A shark fin peeked from the water and went down as soon as the Maverick turned around, "Huh…?" he failed to notice the fin in the other pool as he swore music was playing in the background, "...Why is there a violin playing? And...And why am I scared of just the music?"

"Jaws reference!" Zero-One held his hand up as the Shark Rider Frame jumped out and bit down on the crab drones before landing in the other pool of water. As Bubble Crab screamed like a girl, Zero-One used this chance to slot the Progrisekey into his belt.

**=PROGRISE! BITING SHARK~=**

Zero-One's armor changed once more as he stabbed his sword down and rushed to Bubble crab. He swung his arm and slashed him across his torso/face several times making him yelp in pain, "Gabu-Gabu-Gabu!" he chanted in tune to the song Bubble Crab swore he heard, "GABU!" he laughed, swinging an uppercut that struck Bubble Crab with his arm fin and sent him stumbling back.

"You…! ...Oh wait. I forgot I could do this!" Bubble Crab declared, striking a quick pose as his face opened back up, letting bubbles spill out as they formed a large bubble around him.

"...heh. Too easy!" Zero-One laughed as he lunged at Bubble Crab...only to yelp as he suddenly bounced off of the bubble surrounding the Maverick, "Hah?!"

"Ha ha! Nothing gets past my Bubble Barrier!" Bubble Crab laughed.

"How can a bubble do that?" Zero-One asked, "Anytime I ever made a bubble, it didn't survive 5 seconds…"

"All in the technique! Speaking of technique…" Bubble Crab began as his barrier opened up a bit, "Bubble Spray!"

"Oh geez!" Zero-One yelped before a few shots hit the bubbles coming towards him, "...About time you showed up, X!"

"X?" Bubble Crab blinked before he noticed X running into the area, "...Ahh! You!"

"...Wait. You're…" X blinked in surprise, "You're Bubble Crab from the 6th Naval unit of the Maverick Hunters."

"Gh!" Bubble Crab tensed at that.

"Another Traitor...What's with animal types?" Zero-One sighed.

"Yabai...X is here…" Jin spoke, failing to reload his gun properly in panic. He then turned around with Serges as the door to the mansion opened the other two Assistant Reploids walking out. The two Mavericks looked at one another as Jin produced two more Risers, and Serges two more keys.

**=̷̧̢̟͙̗̱̬̯͇̬̬͈̼̼͈̈͂͂̇͆͛̑́́͑́͘N̷͚̙͉̭͚̖̘͇͓̬͆̿͗̈͆͆̓̑̄̀̈́́̿͘͝E̸̱̼̪̗͓̺̮̪͗͜ͅƠ̷̤̼̤̭̭̣͋̀̃̏̅̈́͂̋̎H̶̝̥͐̿̀̎̏͘Ì̷͓̯̠̱̲̲̗̇̂̈́͆̓̑͂̍͗́̚̚ͅ!̸̢̨̢̦̘̘̫̜̰̟͓̙̥͊̑͒̄͗̕͜ͅ ̴̳̜͎͇͕͕̯̮̜̦̀̊̋̅͒̍͘͘͜͝͝V̸̠͔̯̭͚̖̭̰͔̕͜Í̷͔̲̯͈̥͉͎̗͗̀̾C̸̱̘͉̫̪̜͆̂͐̓́͘A̵̛̫̭̅̆̏̒̍̊̀̈́̃̐̐͑̕̚R̶̺̀Ỷ̸̢̡̧̺͉̺̜̠̜̰͍̟͔͖̓̑̽́͋̕ͅÅ̵̗̩̦̪̹̹͕̳̘̗͚̹̮̒̊̌̐̇!̵̢̧̭̙̻̗̯͓̗̫̮͚̘͗̾͋̈́͛̉́͌̎̚̕͠͝ͅ ̸̢̞̳̬͙͚͎͍͔͕̟̎͌́̓͜ͅͅZ̴̰͔͕̜͛̋̽̏̂̂͒͑Ȇ̴̥̈́͑̑͒̃͗̈́̓̎̎̕͠T̶̨̧̨̡̨̥̩̖͍̮̗̄͐͒̔͊̌̆́̾̓͘͝͝ͅS̸̨̛͎̰̗̫͈̠̪̯̙̞̥͉̖̐͑̑͐͆̍̓̋̀̏̉̚̕͝ͅƯ̴̘̮̮̟͚̹̠͂͗͂̀ͅM̸̺̰͌͛̒͆̾̈́̐̾̉̇̒̒̽͜͠E̸̦̮̠̰͆́̓͝R̴̗̼͙̅̌̆̒͌̅͑́̈̌̀̓̃̚I̶̱̰̭͈̦̪͎̯̜̫̯̗̱͙̔̇̎̏͜Ș̶̡̨̬͚̤̱͉͚͗̒̓́̒̂͗̚̕͜͝͝E̵̮̮̣̗̻̩̾̓!̵̨͖̼̬̘͇̻̼̗̠̝̳̻̋̒̀͐͛̆̚͝=̴̭̝̣̈́̈̔͗̅̽̓͛**

Zero-One and X turned as two more Mavericks formed in place of the Assistant Reploids. Both of the same new model type, one had white armor that covered their entire torso like a tunit, with tentacles extending from their back and shoulders ending in sharp bladed spades, his head was covered in white armor with two more tentacles extending from the top head. The Second had a large head piece resembling a spiral drill covered in spikes, with what looked like large yellow eyes as the base, the armor around his neck and center of his chest had two metal cables with red optics at the end sticking out like eye stocks. Each arm ended in gauntlets ending in the same drills with power cables linking to his back.

"Two more?!" Zero-One gawked.

"Hey, Mr. Crabs!"

"...Do I look like I come from a cartoon?!" Bubble Crab demanded, glaring at Jin.

"Well, you're red and greedy," Jin replied innocently.

"...I hate him…" Bubble Crab lowered his arms in defeat.

"Anyway, I programmed those two to obey you!" Jin shouted, "Make sure you bring me a good Progrisekey!" he paused, "Not the Shark! It looks like it's always grumpy!" he snapped.

"She is!" Zero-One confirmed, using his arm fins to block Neohi's tentacles before swinging around and knocking Vicarya's drill away.

"Ugh...I am surrounded by idiots…" Serges groaned before a few shots were fired at him, only to be deflected by nothing, "...I vas wondering vhen we would meet, Megaman X…" he looked over at X aiming his X Buster at him.

"Another X Hunter?" X asked with a frown.

"Yes...I am Serges, the smartest of the three," he replied, "And you vill not delay the revival…"

"Revival?" X repeated as he glared, "No! I'll stop you!"

"X!" Zero-One cried as he blocked the two new Mavericks, only for Bubble Crab to tackle him with the claws on his shoulders enlarged with energy, a small explosion knocking the Rider forward.

"Zero-One!" he panicked.

"Hahaha...This is way more fun!" Jin smiled as he finished reloading his gun and aimed at X, keeping him from moving, "Careful...This isn't a normal old pistol. You've seen what it does to Reploid armor…"

"Ah mou...This is getting me to really dislike seafood," Zero-One groaned as Isamu ran onto the scene.

"Several Mavericks at once…" Isamu observed before holding up Shooting Wolf, pressed the button…

**=BULLET!=**

...and, with a grunt, used just his _thumb_ to force it open, "These Reploids are scrap. Henshin!"

**=SHOTRISE! SHOOTING WOLF!=**

Isamu charged as he punched the bullet and changed into Vulcan. The Wolf Rider grunted as he jumped up and landed a scissor kick to Neohi's head as he trapped it in a leg lock, he swung his arms out and grabbed Vicarya before he twisted his body around and brought both of them down to the ground. Vulcan spun around as he shot Neohi pushing it into the pool of water. Zero-One jumped after it as he swam and pinned the Maverick to the bottom. Vulcan growled as he got up before blinking and looking down at Bubble Crab.

"I'm going to rip you apart...piece...by piece...like they do at the Fishermans Wharf to prep crab for sushi," Vulcan growled simply.

"GAH! BUBBLE BARRIER!" Bubble Crab freaked as he formed his barrier once more just as Vulcan threw a punch, only to end up bouncing off it, "...Phew! Close one…"

"Some kind of barrier using liquid surface tension?" Vulcan asked.

"Eh?" Bubble Crab blinked at that.

"Grr!" he grabbed the bubble and picked it up. He then swung it around just as Vicarya swung his drill and bounced off the bubble barrier, "Useful…" he noted as he used Bubble Crab and his own barrier as a shield to fight the third Maverick.

"What kind of human are you!?" Bubble Crab panicked as he was swung around like a rag doll.

"That's what we'd like to know..." X and Rico whispered as an AIMS truck drove into the area before Yua stepped out, holding a large suitcase-like device with blue lines on it.

"Two Mavericks at once?" Yua blinked.

"No, it's three," Rico corrected as she pointed to the pool of water as tentacles shot out, only for them to go limp and sink back down.

After a while, Zero-One jumped out of the water and flipped over the bridge path before landing back into the water. Neohi popped out only to be dragged back down by Zero-One as their fight continued underwater.

"Odd…" Yua spoke, "But...it seems they are uncoordinated and have low combat stats…" she observed, "Perfect for testing this new weapon out."

"New weapon?"

"Hai. The Attach Shotgun," she nodded before looking over at Vulcan, "Fuwa, try this out!"

"Hmm?" Vulcan blinked, dropping Bubble Crab as he caught the thrown device, "...So what's this supposed t-" he began as he slotted his gun back onto his buckle.

**=ATTACH SHOTGUN!=**

"SHOTGUN!?" everyone but Roll shouted in panic as they somewhat knew Vulcan.

Vulcan opened the gun...but noted it only opened so far, and wasn't like Zero-One's sword. He looked over before seeing the next step was to twist and pivot the rest of the barrel out. Which he did slowly until it lined up and locked back in place.

**=SHOTGUN RISE!=**

"...Mine," Vulcan stated, pumping it.

"Why do I get the feeling it should've been red?" Rico asked.

"Wait...did they just give the angry soldier guy a _shotgun_…?!" Bubble Crab panicked, "Bubble Barrier Double!" he declared as two layers of bubbles formed over him this time.

Vulcan aimed at the Maverick and fired, the recoil of the blast sending him skidding and ultimately flipping backwards through the air as a massive ball of blue energy flew and grazed his Bubble Barrier, causing it to split open and send Bubble Crab flying to the side and smacking into Vicarya. The blast luckily curved up into the air before detonating itself in a massive burst.

"Hoh? Quite ze interesting design," Serges noted, "Portable and easily undetected until it needs to be utilized."

"Mmm...Wolf is too boring," Jin noted, "Come on, guys~! Find a good key~!"

"I swear zat your head is stuck in ze sky at times…" Serges muttered with a facepalm.

"Grr...get off me!" Bubble Crab snapped as he pushed Vicarya off him, "Hey, squid for brains! We're bailing!"

Neohi quickly shot out of the water before running over to join the two.

"You, conehead! Drill us out of here!" Bubble Crab ordered as he pushed Vicarya up.

The Maverick jumped up and dived headfirst into the ground using all three Drills to tunnel a whole through the ground. Neohi used its tentacles to pick up Bubble Crab and used the rest to pull them down the hole while closing it behind them.

"The recoil on that shotgun is insane," Rico noted, "Maybe he needs to use it when he's in Punching Kong?"

Yua blinked a few times as she pulled out her phone and pulled up a voice recording app.

"Note to self...test with Punching Kong to mitigate recoil…" she whispered into her phone.

"Eh, I don't like kongs…" Jin mumbled as Serges dragged him over to the hovering platform, "That big one killed Godzilla with a cheap move..."

"Ve'll meet again, Successor!" Serges called while looking at X as it flew off quickly.

"Ah...mou…" X sighed, "I was so shocked by the shotgun, my reaction time slowed…"

"..." Roll looked at where the three Mavericks had been, "Shacho, there is a warranty on if a Reploid goes Maverick."

"Maji?!" Zero-One popped his head out of the water finally.

"We will need to provide three to Choichiro-san along with the new order he placed," Roll informed.

"She has her priorities askew," Rico muttered with a deadpan look on her face.

"Ah...well I guess it is a promise…" Zero-One shook his head as he climbed out, "Let's get back to the office and take care of that, then deal with the three Aquatic Stooges…" he paused, "No no no...They are too amazing to be associated with losers like them…" he argued.

"Agreed," X admitted before turning his communicator on, "Alia, I found out who the Maverick was. It was Bubble Crab from the 6th Naval Unit."

=...Why am I not surprised he'd go Maverick?= Alia sighed =Stick with Zero-One for now. I'll inform you when he's popped up again=

"Right," X nodded as he turned to Vulcan.

"I shall master you...for you are mine now," Vulcan looked at the Shotgun.

"Is...is he talking to the shotgun?" Rico asked.

"Just go…" Zero-One hissed as he pushed her along, "Don't look at them. It will get worse…X, grab Roll."

"Hai," X nodded as he picked her up and walked after Zero-One, trying hard to not look at Vulcan either before nodded to Yua, "Yua-san."

"I'll fix it...I can't let something like that be used freely anyway." Yua sighed, "I'll contact Alia if we find anything."

"Touch it...and you wake up in a week…" Vulcan replied simply.

"...Ugh."

* * *

"What?! What do you mean all three assistants went Maverick?!" Ishizumi exclaimed.

"We will provide replacements per the warranty by tomorrow morning," Roll informed.

"But I don't have time to spare! Get them here now!" he snapped, "The learning software is fine, but it takes time for the art to be good enough!"

"Sensei, if I may," Aruto spoke up, "Why don't you draw it yourself, Sensei?" he asked honestly.

"..." Ishizumi paused at that, his anger seeming to fade into painfully clear nervousness," If I was drawing it again, people will wonder why the art changed all of a sudden. It's better to let the AI do it, and it's faster."

"Better?" Rico blinked as she looked to the collection of volumes and picked the one Aruto did last time along with a recent one from last month.

She opened to random pages and looked at the two. The style did look the same...but she didn't need her enhanced AI or optics to see the difference. With the early issue there was the smallest of mistake here and there, sometimes a mix up on the artists part, but...for some reason, the early issue...it seemed more lively, like the characters actually were alive, like it was something actually happening. Yet when she examined the recent issue, the art was crisp, perfect, drawn without a single mistake and never once off character. But...that's just it. All that perfection...made it feel...manufactured. The characters and scenes looked nice, but they just looked like drawings. Honestly, she couldn't explain this feeling, but she knew...this was how Aruto also felt about the change in art.

"Sensei…" Aruto spoke up, getting Ishizumi's attention as he seemed to calm down a bit, "Does it really make you happy to do it this way?" he asked with a tone of confusion and concern.

"Huh?" Ishizumi replied, confused by the question.

"..." Aruto said nothing as he began to walk off, walking past X, "When we get back to the office, there's something I want to talk to you about, X."

"Eh? Ano...sure."

* * *

"...You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Aruto asked, making X tense as they were back in his office with Rico and Roll at his sides, "Earlier when we were dealing with the Mavericks, that old man mentioned something about a revival, much like Agile did...is there something you're not telling me?"

"..." X said nothing as he hung his head low a bit.

"In fact, you had Zero's saber back on the day I first became Zero-One," Aruto continued, "X...did something happen to Zero?"

"...I can't say. I…" X began, clenching his fist as he gritted his teeth.

"X...please tell me."

"...Back during the Maverick War when I was raiding their leader's base, Zero…" X paused, taking a deep breath as he looked at him, "Zero...sacrificed himself during the battle with Vile, a Former Maverick Hunter."

"Eh?" Aruto asked, shocked, "So...Zero is…"

"Yeah...and now the X Hunters-and most likely Metsubojinrai-are trying to revive him for their cause," X answered, "So far we managed to recover two piece schematics after the last two encounters: his upper and lower body. Only pieces left are his head...and the Control Chip, of which its location is currently unknown."

"So then those last two times against the X Hunters when me and Fuwa-san helped fight them off...the things they dropped were those schematics," Aruto spoke, "But why did Metsubojinrai even have them?"

"I don't know….but if they're planning to revive Zero, it can't be good," X answered, a serious look on his face, "And considering the first two X Hunters has the first two parts...there's a chance Serges has the final one."

"But what about the Control Chip then...who has that? Jin?" Aruto asked.

"Maybe...but he doesn't seem like a dedicated combat type. He doesn't have armor," X spoke, "Then there was the Purple Rider…"

"Purple Rider?" Rico repeated.

"Back at the factory, there was a…" X began.

"Shachou!" Fukuzoe's lackey shouted as he, said vice president, and their Reploid assistant, "We received a complaint from Mr. Ishizumi Choichiro!"

"...We'll continue this later," X whispered to Aruto.

"You put a hold on his replacement units?" Fukuzoe asked with a frown.

"Replacements will be provided within 24 hours. That is our policy," Roll stated.

"He is a long-term contract and one of our most valuable accounts, not to mention a celebrity!" Fukuzoe argued, "If word got out, it would make us look even worse."

"Worse?" Rico questioned, "But ever since Aruto took over, our public image has increased."

"It would seem people like him," Roll added, quoting something she looked up.

"Public? Yes. But in business? NO!" Fukuzoe snapped, "Uncancel Ishizuchi's order or…!"

"Reploids aren't slaves," Aruto stated, "If he's not doing things himself, then he's just exploiting them to make money."

"Is this your own disillusionment speaking?" Fukuzoe asked.

"He's right, Shachou!" Sanzo agreed as was expected, "You're offending out client."

"You understand right? Send the replacement ASAP," Fukuzoe sighed.

"...I find myself asking what Hakase and Jiichan would do…" Aruto spoke, making Fukuzoe stop with everyone paying attention to him, "I think...with them not here anymore, I'm feeling things in their place. As the CEO...and the one watching over the Reploids...I don't get business...but I get Reploids…" he explained, "As CEO...I'll handle this the way I see fit. If you have a problem, well the next board meeting is in a month."

"...Fine…" Fukuzoe spoke as he left the office without seeming to get upset at all.

"Ugh…" Aruto groaned once they left, "Why is it half the time things I say seem to make things worse…?"

"I don't think so…" X spoke up, "You sounded a lot like Light-Hakase...and Hiden-Shachou…"

"I guess something of Jiichan had to be passed down to me…" Aruto sighed, "Even still...this has been a bummer of a day. I never thought Sensei would be like that…"

"I do not understand your feelings, Aruto-Shachou," Roll spoke up, making Aruto flinch and let his head fall onto his desk.

"Roll...really?" Rico asked, "You saw how he was treating them. He made those Reploids work and work 'till their own power cores and motors gave out."

"The fact remains, Sensei lost his assistants and his work will not meet his deadline now," Roll countered.

"But you say, Sensei doesn't even have passion anymore…" Aruto argued, "He doesn't want Reploids for help...he wants them so he can be lazy."

"..." Roll tilted her head, not understanding his point.

"Passion?" Rico repeated as she began her own internet search on the word, "Passion; a strong or barely controllable emotion, often related to incensed or burning...Burning?" she blinked, "Ne...Aruto-shachou...wouldn't a Burning feeling be bad for humans? Wouldn't they get overheated or burned?"

"Eh...hehehe...well...no that's just metaphorical." Aruto chuckled at the concern in her voice, "It's not like your temperature actually rises when you're passionate…" he paused, "Temperature…" he repeated to himself as he recalled the fight earlier as Vulcan's shotgun burst Bubble Crab's barrier like nothing, "...Oh! I got it! We need a fire form!"

"You sure?" X asked, "Last I checked from records, Bubble Crab's weapon is strong against Flame Stag, another Maverick Hunter who went rogue much like him."

"No. Think about it! He uses liquid to form his bubble barrier, so what happens when you heat liquid?" Aruto explained.

"...It evaporates," X realized.

"So what if we blast him with heat so strong his water can't stop it! Roll, make a fire key please!"

"Requesting Progrisekey Creation," Roll informed, her eyes flashing red.

"And don't add a weird personality! Seriously, Same-Roll is always wanting to bite and Tori-Roll keeps hugging me whenever she takes three steps and Batta-Roll is normal so maybe another Batta-Roll," Aruto noted.

***THWACK!***

"I deserved that…" Aruto groaned, twitching while collapsed on his desk with a large bump on his head.

"Maybe we should make him an appointment to get his head checked? ...You know...for potential fractures...or brain damage…" X muttered to Rico.

"He has one next Tuesday with an S+ Reploid purchased by the hospital," Rico whispered back.

* * *

It was late at night with the lab, Roll standing nearby the machine used to create the Proogrisekeys, the new one in the process of being made.

"Searching terms and conditions…" Roll spoke as a screen popped up before her, "'Passion'...'Passion'...No matching word found."

* * *

"_Ve'll meet again, Successor!"_

* * *

Roll looked at the screen before her, "Access data files on DLN Numbers. Keyword 'Predecessor to DLN-X: X Light.'" the screen turned red and brought up a digital lock with 'ACCESS DENIED' on the screen, "Unable to access due to ID code being DLN-003 Roll Light by order of Dr. Light and President Hiden." she blinked twice, "Access video files on DLN Numbers. Access video file DLN-003."

The screen changed to a video, showing Dr. Light beside a Reploid frame the size of a preteen without any artificial skin over it.

=Video Log DLN-003: This is my third automaton that I am currently building alongside DLN-002. The automaton, or Reploid as my friend Korenosuke has started calling them, will be designed to resemble a girl with her programming including several housekeeping techniques and a few medical programs for basic first aid. I'll also add all programs for bojutsu to help her defend herself with a broom. Why a broom? It's because no one would expect a housekeeping Reploid to defend the household with a broom and actually beat them up with it= Dr. Light spoke =I will be calling her 'Roll' to fit with DLN-002's name since they will be considered siblings=

"Pause video. Access video file DLN-002," Roll ordered before the same access denied screen popped up, "Unable to access due to ID code being DLN-003 Roll Light by order of Dr. Light and President Hiden." the screen turned off and Roll turned to the 3D printer as it continued on.

* * *

The next morning, Ishizumi was forced to take time to go to the Animation studio which was handling the adaptation of his Manga. Work had only begun and it was still in its early stages. Today would be the start of voice recording sessions. He wasn't able to get much work for the next chapter done, so he was really only able to overlook this project. Sadly, he called in and said he wouldn't be able to make the chapter in time and so he wouldn't be in this week's issue of the Magazine. First time in Fifteen years, one would assume this would be a blow to his pride...however more than anything he just looked bored sitting there, going over a list of voice actors auditioning and who had already been approved for several of the main roles. What caught his interest was one of the Voice actors...was a Reploid.

At that, the door opened as two people walked in. One was a Middle-aged man dressed in a suit. Standing next to him was a Reploid girl. She seemed to be modeled to look like a girl in her late teens or early twenties. She had short brown hair with the Reploid ear devices to distinguish her as one, as she wore casual clothing of a white blouse and brown skirt.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sensei. My name is Seine," she bowed to Ishizumi.

"AI can become voice actors now, too?" Ishizumi asked in surprise as he stood up, "Nice. It inspires me." he turned to the man next to Seine whom he assumed was her owner.

"I want to want to take things slow to make sure she learns-" he began in a humbled and calm tone. This was Tazawa, the manager to Seine, and, at the moment, current head of the talent agency she was working for.

"Come on, Tazawa-shachou, she's just an AI!" Ishizumi laughed, "Just run her through the learning process. Then make her work 'till she breaks." he laughed, tapping Tazawa's shoulder while walking out. Not noticing Tazawa stopped laughing once he was far enough away and developing a concerned look as he looked at Seine.

Ishizumi walked out of the recording studio and into the little green room separating the recording studio from the hall. He then paused for a second looking up to see Roll standing there.

"Oh, it's that guy's AI…" he noted.

"My apologies for the inconvenience, Choichiro Ishizumi-sensei," Roll apologized.

"Well hurry it up," Ishizumi spoke, "I just made the call to take a one chapter break. The first in fifteen years."

"I apologize once more," Roll apologized with a bow, "However, I am here to confirm something. Sensei, do you possess 'passion?'"

"Hah?" he blinked utterly confused.

* * *

After his time at the Recording, he made his way home to be greeted by Aruto who was accompanied by Rico and Sanzo, who was sent to ensure Aruto properly apologized to Ishizumi. And seemingly helping since it is stated that apologizing was his specialty according to Fukuzoe.

"Ishizumi-sensei, I want to deeply apologize for our delay in providing your replacements," Sanzo spoke while following Ishizumi to his desk, he also has several bags of expensive treats from around town. Ishizumi already tore into a box of assorted Mochi from an expensive shop uptown, "This isn't much but…" he held up another bag of sweets.

"It's been 24 hours already," Ishizumi asked, unwrapping another mochi, "What's the delay?" he asked, looking more at Aruto.

"They're currently in transit! We wanted to come apologize first," Sanzo answered before looking at Aruto, "Isn't that right, Shachou?"

"...Sensei, is this really what you want?" Aruto asked before Sanzo cleared his throat, as if telling him to shut up.

"Ah mou...What is with you guys from Hiden?" Ishizumi asked with an exasperated sigh, "First the girl Reploid asking me that weird question at the studio and now you."

"Eh? What did you ask?" Aruto asked, looking at Rico.

"Not me! Not me!" Rico argued, crossing her arms in an 'X,' "I was trying to read the entire series like you said to this morning."

"Ano...I never meant all at once…" Aruto whispered, "You need to read it slowly...to let the twists and the story build an emotional response…"

"Oh...Gomen," Rico apologized, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly before the doorbell rang.

"Oh! That must be them!" Ishizumi beamed...before Roll entered, "Ah mou! You again!?"

"...Roll...Where are the new Reploids?" Sanzo asked, noticing no one else coming.

"The order has been delayed indefinitely, Sensei," Roll replied, "There is a violation in terms and conditions."

"...EH?!" Ishizumi and Sanzo exclaimed.

"This is your tenth order in one week for the same purpose," Roll informed, "The rate of replacements is currently in violation of the terms and conditions."

"Masaka…" Sanzo gawked.

"Furthermore, my apologies Aruto-Shacho, for breaking proper conduct," Roll apologized, "According to the company's terms and conditions, it is possible for a person to order a Reploid even if they do not have 'passion.' However, it was both the previous president's ideal and Dr. Light's belief that a person should possess it."

* * *

_-Flashback-_

_"Accessing Memory," Roll spoke as the 3D printer continued working, "Passion…"_

_At that, she found a file somewhere in her Memory banks. The file opened as to Roll a holographic overlay formed over the lab. There stood Korenosuke and Dr. Light working on something, to the side was Rico who was still in the process of being activated._

_"You're really going out with this program, Korenosuke…" Dr. Light looked over his shoulder, "I've never seen you so passionate. Why the sudden inspiration?"_

_"Light-kun…" Korenosuke replied, "Do you recall when I first wrote up the draft of my will?"_

_"Hai...you seemed off that day…" Dr. Light nodded._

_"I just feel that things are changing," Korenosuke looked to Rico then backwards as if looking right at Roll, "Aruto isn't a business type...then again, neither are we...I just was the only one with a minors in it from college…" he chuckled, "But I know...Aruto understands feelings...that's why I work so hard, so that our Reploids also understand feelings...so they can understand us humans." he sighed, "I put so much stress on you in the past, my friend, even though we started all this together. But even now...these Reploids don't work for us...they work with anyone. I want them to offer help to anyone with true passion for their calling." he stood up and stepped forward till his hologram was standing right infront of Roll, "That is what this company is for." he smiled, turning back to Dr. Light, "That is why I can't leave all our work to anyone...that is why I chose who I did. To take our company and the Reploids towards our Dream."_

_"That's a heavy burden for one boy…" Dr. Light sighed._

_"That is why I'm sure our other children shall help him, X...Rico...and Roll…" Korenosuke chuckled, "I know they will respond to his passion...and he shall understand them."_

_-end flashback-_

* * *

"Jii-chan...Hakase-san…" Aruto whispered.

"Even with the violation in the terms and conditions were not breached, I would still state this was my decision alone, Sensei," Roll informed.

"...No," Aruto spoke as he stepped forward, "As president of Hiden Intelligence, it was…"

"I don't care!" Ishizumi exclaimed as he began to walk away.

"...I think I get it," Rico noted, looking at one of the manga volumes, "Volume 9, Chapter 7 was the last chapter that involved him drawing the manga. Volume 9, Chapter 8 is where the Reploids began drawing. Furthermore, it's subtle, but the personalities of the characters started to change just a little. A verbal tic was used less and less for a secondary character and the outfit for another character covered more of their body when previous issues had her wear less due to her past and the sign of less clothes was a symbolism for her." she looked at Ishizumi, "All this 'passion' talk...Sensei, did...you lose your passion for writing the manga after that arc's emotional path?"

"Sensei...you don't even write the story anymore…" Aruto added, "Could it be...after that arc…"

"That's my business…" Ishizumi replied, "As long as the manga sells, that's all that matters…" he replied, almost as if quoting someone.

"Is that really all you want? A Manga that sells?" Aruto asked, Ishizumi unable to reply as he let himself recline all the way back in his chair.

"Shachou…" Sanzo tried to stop Aruto, only for Roll to bop him on the head and make him pass out.

"I really loved the manga you used to make." Aruto declared with a smile, "Every week I'd laugh, I'd cry...I found courage in those pages." he went on, "I grew up on those stories!" he spoke louder, "Your Manga helped make me who I am, your story, your art, it influenced me to follow my heart like the hero in your story. Please put passion back into our work! Being a Mangaka is an incredible calling...one that connects and moves people's hearts." he sighed, getting most of it out of his system, "Humanity can't afford to lose it's passion...we can't compete with an AI's productivity."

"...I can't do it anymore…" Ishizumi admitted with a sigh, "I've lost the fire to make manga…"

"Oh, well in that case…" Bubble Crab's voice began before a window shattered, causing everyone to tense as they saw the crab-themed Maverick jumped in with his two minions, "Hope you don't mind if we mooch ya of your money, fatty?! Squid for brains, Conehead, start raiding the place for treasure and anything valuable!"

"**That includes that Progrisekey that Jin requested?"**

"Yes, it includes the thingy the brat asked for," Bubble Crab deadpanned at the designated 'Conehead.'

"?! No!" Ishizumi panicked as he began to look around his desk for something, "I can't lose it!"

"Oh? A treasure there?" Bubble Crab asked before Aruto tackled him, "Gah! Ye blasted human! You want another round!?"

"Hai," Aruto replied as he held up Flying Falcon.

**=WING! AUTHORISE=**

"Wing?" Bubble Crab asked before screaming as Falcon swooped in, breaking a wall, and smacked him away as Hopper crashed through the roof and landed on him, "AH! MY BACK! Oh, that smarts!"

"Guess Same-chan is too scary for Batta-chan to show up when she shows up," Rico noted.

"Woah!" Ishizumi yelped, holding onto a very worn out ink pen as he fell over, 'What's going on?!"

"Him putting his passion into saving lives," Rico replied.

"Henshin!" Aruto declared, slotting the ProgriseKey.

His black suit formed over him as the Hopper armor was printed onto his body in the right place for the Falcon armor to form in its proper place.

**=PROGRISE! FLY TO THE SKY! FLYING FALCON! Spread your wings and prepare for a force=**

Zero-One turned around to look at Ishizumi and looked at the pen, "It sure looks like you got some passion left, Sensei."

"Eh?" Ishizumi pondered as Zero-One charged at the trio, sword in hand.

"Guess there is passion in you if the first thing you go for when they wanted something valuable is a pen," Rico noted, looking at the pen, "It looks like it was used a lot, too."

"Rico, come," Roll ordered as she followed after the fighting, briefcase in hand.

"Hai~!" Rico saluted as she followed after her before pausing to look back at the mangaka, "Maybe seeing someone filled with passion using it could help." she shrugged before going off, leaving the mangaka to look repeatedly between them and at the pen.

* * *

"Orya!" Zero-One shouted, swooping down and slashing at the trio as he flew by.

"Ohh~!" Jin awed from nearby, looking out at the fighting from a doorway nearby with Serges, "He's flying! He swoopin' and slashin' and flying~! Ne, ne, ne! Mitte-mitte! He's flying! He looks so cool~! I wanna get that key!"

"I vas kidding about ze 'bird brain'..." Serges muttered with a drop of oil going down the back of his head.

"But look!" Jin smiled happily as his eyes seemed to sparkle and Serges swore he saw stars in them, "Isn't flying cool!? It's like the ultimate form of freedom!"

"Could it be…" Serges blinked staring at Jin, "Singularity...so soon? Horobi...what is he?"

"Oh, we are gonna be aibou, Tori-chan~" Jin hummed happily, "Oh, can my belt be themed after a bird?"

"...No…"

"Poo…" Jin pouted as he slumped his head and shoulders.

"And Dive bomb! And a Dive bomb for you, and another Dive bomb for you!" Zero-One cheered as he swooped down and slashed all the Aquatic Mavericks one after the other, "Everybody getting a Dive bomb! It's like you guys aren't even tryin'!" he laughed, landing on higher ground.

"He dive bombed~!" Jin squeed.

"Ugh...that...that's not fair! You can fly...without wings!" Bubble Crab complained, "That's so not fair! Hacks! I call hacks!"

"What's that? Another Divebomb!?" Zero-One laughed.

"Yay!" Jin cheered, earning a bop on the head from Serges.

"Vhy are you rooting for him?!" Serges demanded.

"But he's the Bird...I like Birds…" Jin complained, rubbing his head despite there being no injury.

"Mmm...Nah," Zero-One shrugged.

"Hah?" Jin gawked.

"Phew…" Bubble Crab sighed in relief.

"You can deal with the gorilla," Zero-One replied.

"Gorilla?" Bubble Crab repeated before the squid Maverick was besieged by a blue trail of energy ending in a wolf's head.

**=SHOOTING KABAN SHOT!=**

The blast carried the Maverick off before the wolf's jaw chomped on it and tore apart before exploding. Everyone turned to Vulcan in his Punching Kong form walking in while holding up his new shotgun.

"So Punching Kong really did mitigate the recoil…" Yua spoke while recording with her phone, "A little embarrassed it wasn't me who thought of it...but I digress."

"I figured as much," Rico smiled, making Yua jump slightly.

"I'm just a product tester again…" Vulcan sighed, pulling his Shooting Wolf ProgriseKey out of the Shotgun, "Well, at least this is one kinda test I can get behind."

"Meh...Gorillas are boring…" Jin shrugged, "Reminds me too much of Violen...How does a robot that doesn't sweat stink so much?"

"That's what you're asking?" Serges questioned before grabbing him and ducking them both down to avoid a Charged Shot, "Ah, the successor has found us."

"Again with that?" X questioned.

"Of course. Oh? Could it be zat you do not know?" Serges asked, "I vould imagine zat ze foolish girl would not stop speaking of zat one."

"...I don't like your tone…" X aimed at them again, "Explain!"

"Hmph. As if I should," Serges replied, "But if you vant a fight, then it's a fight you shall get."

X said nothing as he began to fire a few shots at Serges, who threw his cape off as the shots deflected seemingly off the air, "...A barrier."

"You thought he was weak 'cause he's short," Jin laughed.

"SHORT?!" Bubble Crab screamed.

"He said it!" Serges pointed at Zero-One.

"WHO YOU CALLIN' A SHRIMP TOO SMALL TO EVEN BE EATEN BY AN AMOEBA?!" Bubble Crab snapped, firing a barrage of acidic bubbles at Zero-One.

"Whoa!" Zero-One shouted as he flew around to avoid all the bubbles before flying straight up.

"That's what makes him snap…" Vulcan sighed, "I could use that...oi Chibi!" he called out, making Bubble Crab freeze, "Koi...I could use a tiny little snack before the main course."

"You. Are. _DEAD_!" Bubble Crab screeched as he pounced, firing acidic bubbles as he jumped.

"Guess I get the drill guy," Zero-One noted as he landed before looking around, "...Where is he?" the ground behind him exploded as the Maverick erupted from it, "Eh?! Sneak attack?!" the Maverick managed to deliver a few strikes that knocked Zero-One away and to the entrance,"Gwah! Ugh...I hate sneak attacks...They're so sneaky."

"PFT!" Vulcan and X snorted as Vulcan backhanded Bubble Crab making him stumble around a bit.

"Aruto-Shacho!" Roll called, making Zero-One look up to see her, Rico, and Ishizumi at the entrance.

"Roll?"

"The countermeasure has been completed," Roll informed, opening the case and giving him a red Progrisekey with a tiger on it, the words 'FLAMING TIGER Ability: FIRE' on it.

"Countermeasure? ...Oh, right!" Zero-One realized as he accepted the key and clicked it, "Thanks!"

**=FIRE!=**

"Oh, use this t…" Ishizumi began, about to throw a wooden prop blade before Rico held a hand up.

"Please wait," Rico advised, "I don't think it'd be able to handle the fiery passion that he'll be unleashing." she blinked twice when Roll walked away from the entrance, "Uh…"

"Please move to the side," Roll advised, "A heat advisory has been issued for the spot you're at."

"Uh-oh," Rico squeaked, quickly grabbing Ishizumi's arm and pulling him over to Roll just as Zero-One scanned the key.

**=AUTHORISE=**

A red beam shot from Zea...which formed into a large mechanical red Tiger as it crashed onto the ground where they had been. Fire formed along the ground as it looked forward. It let out a powerful roar that made everyone jump in panic.

"Ikuze Tora-chan!" Zero-One called out, "Metcha metcha moreuze!" he cheered, slotting the key into the Zero-One Driver. The tiger roared and ran forward, it's paws leaving flaming prints in the ground as it ran around Zero-One and slashed at the one dubbed Conehead, before roaring letting loose a red shockwave that sent Bubble Crab flying away.

**=PROGRISE! GIGANT FLARE! FLAMING~ TIGER~!=**

Tiger split apart as the Falcon armor faded away. The yellow armor arranged again, as the shoulder pads pushed back, the yellow armor on his ribs slid down slightly, while the yellow mask for his Hopper form popped off his helmet and one half attached to each arm with pieces of his chest armor to form gauntlets. The Red lines hit his body and formed his new armor, red armor forming into fire like branches formed on his thighs, as their gaps formed the image of tiger stripes. His shoulders had red armor formed of three pieces of red metal joined at one point like whiskers. Red chest armor formed on his chest emulating the face of a tiger. Unlike other times, the red energy formed new gloves over his hands, bright red metal gloves covered his hand which extended over his wrists and merged with the rest of his gauntlets, his fingers ending in spikes with black palms that looked like the paw pads of a tiger, with a glowing ring in the center of each palm. His new Red mask emulated a tiger as he had two small feline ears inplace of his antenna, black stripes formed on his mouthplate, with arrow-like patterns making stripes on his forehead, his optics now bright blue to offset the red of his form.

**=Explosive power of 100 Bombs=**

Everyone paused and awed as the ground around Zero-One ignited with fire, embers rising up behind him, striking an imposing image to all who saw it.

"So cool…." Jin and X said at the same time.

"100 Bombs?!" Rico repeated.

"Oh~! Sugei!" Zero-One awed as he looked at his hands...before yelping as flamethrowers shot out of them and hit him in the face, "Atsui! Atsui!" Zero-One blinked a few times as Aruto looked around in Zea, "...Oh, I'm worried now. I forgot to read the instructions."

"YAHOO!"

"GWAH!" Aruto panicked before Roll, wearing a red sports bra and running shorts, both sporting black tiger stripes, with her hair let loose, landed on his back, "Ah!"

"Whew! I'm pumped!" Roll cheered.

"Eh?" Aruto blinked, "Fire...Burning...passion...Passionate Roll-san?"

"I guess so," Roll shrugged, still ginning with excitement, "Come on! Come on! Let's get going with that reading!"

"Uh…"

"COME ON!" Roll shouted in encouragement, her eyes looking like feral cat eyes that were on fire at that moment.

"HAI!" Aruto yelped, quickly tapping the instructions, "At least she didn't do the…"

***BONK!***

"Ah!" Aruto yelped.

"And that's for being too passionate to not come in here to read first!" Roll declared, tapping her broom.

"Even Tomboy Roll does this?" he groaned, "Soka...So they are flamethrowers...wait...shape the fires?" he read, "I can do that?!" he squeed, "Oh, the visual gags I could make…I can write my name in the sky!"

"Uh, Aruty? Remember? The Mavericks we're gonna roast?" Roll asked.

"Oh, right, right! Beat up the Mavericks first, then write my name in the sky with a ton of fiery puns!" Aruto cheered.

"That's the spirit!" Roll whooped.

Zero-One shook his head as he shook his hand to put out the fire. He then paused and looked at his other hand...before ducking his head as it also shot flames at his face.

"Ah! I'm so pawt!-!" Zero-One yelped.

"Pfft…" Vulcan and X snorted back laughs, _'Not the time to laugh...Even if it's hilarious.'_

"Fighting calls for passion, too!" Zero-One spoke, walking up next to Vulcan as the Mavericks regrouped, "Especially right meow!" he held his hands up like claws next to his mask.

"Gh…" Vulcan choked back a laugh.

"Pfft...right meow…" X snickered.

"Ugh...You even have ze same sense of humor…" Serges muttered.

"Well...things look bad. I'm out." Jin declared before running off, leaving Serges behind, "Don't die!" he cheered, vanishing as he turned a corner.

"BOY!" Serges snapped before blocking another blast from X.

"Let's go!" Zero-One shouted as he and Vulcan charged.

Zero-One growled swinging his hands like claws and slashing Conehead across the torso several times. He swung his hand and deflected his left drill away as Vulcan grabbed it. Vulcan roared and used his strength to lift and swing Conehead up and into the ground. Zero-One grunted, jumping and stepping off Vulcan's shoulder as he aimed down and blasted fire at Bubble Crab, who panicked and formed his Bubble Barrier.

"HA!" the Maverick laughed.

"Let's turn up the heat!" Zero-One laughed as the flames grew brighter and more condensed.

"Oh~" Ishizumi awed, kneeling down on a knee with a sketch pad in hand and his pen sketching quickly.

"Don't stop!" Vulcan laughed as he ripped the drill off Conehead's arm before blasting him with his Shotgun, sending him flying over Bubble Crab, "Better not stop 'till he's fully cooked!"

"Baka! I'm water! I ain't gonna...gonna...phew. I'm sweating oil here…" Bubble Crab muttered, tugging on his armor a little as steam escaped, "Ah! Ah!" he started hopping, "Atsui! Atsui! Atsui! My bubble's gotten hot!"

"Time for a lesson, Crabby! When you superheat water with flames of 1800 degrees Celsius, how long will they stay liquid?" Zero-One asked.

"1800 degrees!?" Bubble Crab panicked as the bubble began expanding and getting thinner until it popped, "AH!" he cried as the jet of flames struck him face first.

Vulcan took this opening as he aimed and shot at Bubble Crab, the Attach Shotgun's round hitting with a powerful explosion that knocked the Maverick over.

"Impossible…" Serges spoke, blocking another shot from X, "How can a human withstand such heat?"

"You underestimate Zero-One," X spoke as he jumped over Serges and landed behind him while punching his cannon into his back, "When his passion ignites...it's much hotter then any flame a Reploid can make!" he unleashed a charged shot into Serges's back, sending him stumbling forward across the ground.

"Ha!" Vulcan shouted as he punched Conehead and then shot him again.

"Ora!" Zero-One cheered, swinging his flaming hands down and slashed through the bubble barrier again to scratch Bubble Crab across his face, leaving red scratch marks across his armor as he did.

"As expected of Aruto-Shacho," Roll noted.

"I don't think he's hearing you," Rico noted, looking at Ishizumi still drawing away and making a manga version of Flaming Tiger.

"...heh…" Serges gave a small chuckle as he blocked another shot from X, "Do you even realize ze battlefield right now, X?"

"Hmm?" X raised a brow as he took a step, tensing as he heard a beeping sound...and slowly looked down to see a mine at his feet, "...He set m-"

***BOOM!***

"Ahh!" X screamed as he was sent flying back into a few creates, "Guys, careful! Serges has set mines around the area!"

"Landmines?!" Zero-One panicked, he then looked around, "Really...no one was gonna do the bit with me...you all stink…" he sighed. He then stopped as he looked at his hands, he leaned down and slammed his hands into the ground as he unleashed a barrage of fire into the ground, "To set landmines...you need to disturb the earth...I'll just find that loose ground...and fill it with Fire!"

The ground began cracking with the glow of head as small puffs of fire escaped from the cracks. After a short while, the ground began exploding with pillars of flames. Serges grunted as the mine hidden behind him went up in flames, making him stumble forward and kick into a kick to the face by X.

"Gah!" Serges grunted as he was knocked away, sending up a disc into the air.

"!" X grabbed the disc and looked at it, "Blueprints obtained."

"HA!" Vulcan raised his arm as the thruster ignited before he punched the ground, causing it to shake like waves. The unstable ground tossed the Mavericks around before it finally burst with one final pillar of fire that swallowed up all three.

As the flames died down, the three Mavericks hit the ground with groans of pain. They looked up as the three Heroes stood side by side.

"Shachou...me and the Reploid will cover you while you finish this," Vulcan ordered as he pulled out his Punching Kong Key from his ShotRiser. He slotted it into his Shotgun as he closed it up and clicked the trigger.

**=CHARGE!=**

"Full power…" X spoke, raising his Buster up as it began glowing with bright energy. The Meter on his arm began lighting up and changing colors to indicate its charge level.

**=FULL CHARGE!=**

Vulcan aimed his Attache Shotgun across his left arm, and pumped it by pushing it forward actuss his gauntlet. X stood next to him as he aimed with him at the trio of Mavericks. Bubble Crab panicked and pushed Conehead forward as a shield. Bubble Crab and Serges forming their barriers at the same time for good measure. Vulcan clicked his shotgun's trigger as the signal to fire.

**パ**

**ン**

**チ**

**ン**

**グ**

**カ**

**バ**

**ン**

**バ**

**ス**

**タ**

**ー**

**=PUNCHING! KABAN BUSTER!=**

X unleashed a powerful blast of blue energy, which was 'punched' by a giant energy construct of Vulcan's Knuckle Demolition Gauntlet. The blast formed a massive blue version of the Gauntlet...before it exploded into a barrage of smaller versions which began bombarding Conehead until tearing him apart. Each fist hit the combined barrier of Bubble Crab and Serges before it began to crack and shatter from the combined force.

"Bubble Crab!" Zero-One spoke as the Maverick looked up at him, "Omae o tome rareru no wa tada hitori, ore da!" he declared pushing on his ProgriseKey.

He then shot his arms out as he formed a massive ring of fire, as a screen of embers formed in the center. He dashed forward as he held his arms back as concentrated jets of fire propelled him forward faster before he jumped and went through the ring covering him in flames that took the appearance of an actual tiger around his body.

**フ**

**レ**

**イ**

**ミ**

**ン**

**グ**

**イ**

**ン**

**パ**

**ク**

**ト**

Zero-One roared as he swung his hands forward as the flames condensed around his clawed fingers, growing into giant claws of fire. He roared and swung his arms while passing Bubble Crab.

**=FLAMING IMPACT!=**

Bubble Crab grunted as red how marks formed a criss-crossing slash pattern across his body. Zero-One stood up as the Maverick cried in pain while exploding into a pillar of fire.

"I got it!" X shouted as he jumped up, grabbing hte falling Zetsumerisekey that housed Bubble Crab's Data, his gem glowing for a moment, "Copy complete...Bubble Splash obtained."

"One left," Vulcan spoke as Serges pushed himself back up.

"It's over, Serges," X frowned, aiming his X Buster at him, "You won't revive Zero for your sick game…"

"...heh heh heh….who says it is just Zero?" Serges asked with a low chuckle.

"...?!" X's eyes widened at that, "...No…"

Serges used that moment to grab his right hand...before ripping it off and throwing it at them. It beeped several times before exploding, engulfing the structure in smoke.

"Ah! Help! I'm blind!" Zero-One yelped, "We've been smoked! And I don't think smoked gorilla or smoked tiger sound tasty either!"

"GH...Shut up!" Vulcan snapped, trying to contain his urge to laugh.

Soon, the smoke dissipated, revealing Serges was gone. X frowned as he lowered his buster arm.

"Ah mou…" Zero-One sighed, "He got away in such a weird way, too. Who puts a smoke bomb into their hand, anyway? What if they sneeze and set it off?"

"I'm gonna scrap that little man…" Vulcan sighed as he raised his Shotgun and tapped it on his shoulder.

"Would you mind saying that again in a Russian accent?" Zero-One asked, holding up his Risephone.

"No," Vulcan replied.

"What was that…" Ishizumi awed as he stood up fully before looking at his sketch, showing it to be one of Vulcan, X, and Zero-One fighting Bubble Crab via all three blasting him at the same time, "That was insane…!"

* * *

One Week Later

"Sensei...The first chapter of this arc is absolutely amazing!" Aruto awed, looking at the latest volume with Rico peeking over his shoulder at the issue.

"Ah, this feels like the first nine volumes," Rico awed, "Ah! He got his tic back, too!"

"Well I owe it all to you," Ishizumi smiled as he held up his pen which was dripping with fresh ink, "You got my fire back." he smiled as he picked up the piece he was drawing and revealed it was an autographed picture of the main character from his Manga. Under his name was written: 'To Zero-One, My Hero', "Here."

"WAH!" Aruto awed at the gift, "I love that intensity in your art."

"Yes, very passionate," Roll agreed.

"It's so great!" Rico beamed as Ishizumi chuckled while standing up.

"The new Reploid worked hard on the background," Ishizumi noted as he walked up to a lone Reploid, who smiled on being mentioned, "Thanks to that, I was able to create some new characters."

"New?!" Aruto gasped as he turned the page and froze.

The page was a detailed drawing of a being wearing armor that made them look like a muscular gorilla...wielding a bulky shotgun. It...looked so familiar, like...he'd seen this profile before...wait…it was VULCAN! The Memory of Vulcan walking away in this exact pose came to everyone's mind.

"Ah...That panel says he has enough power to shoot through a mountain," Rico noted, "Why do gorillas have to be so scary?"

"...Matte. He said 'characters,'" Aurto muttered as he flipped through pages and froze, "..."

The next full page sported a humanoid tiger girl wearing what looked like a sports bra and running shorts with tiger stripes with flames controlled by her coming from a staff. Aruto and Rico blinked a few times and held the magazine up to compare it with...Roll. Aurto slumped as Rico gawked.

"Ore janai…" Aruto paled in despair.

"Roll-sempai's in a manga," Rico awed, "I think the proper action is…" she held the manga up to her, "Please sign?"

"Rico janai!" Aruto barked before slumping, "I do not show…"

"Aruto-Shachou is a 'no show,'" Roll stated.

"Now you're stealing my gags?!" Aruto complained.

* * *

"Don't go trying to steal Progrisekeys on your own," Horobi scolded as he put the two spent Zetsumerisekeys into their slots.

"But I wasn't. I had all three and Jii-chan with me," Jin replied as he pointed at Serges, who was reattaching a new hand to where he had removed the old one.

"Did you listen to Serges...all the time?" Horobi asked.

"...A little…" Jin replied, poking his fingers together like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, "But I know the key I wanna get now! It's so cute and cool and can fly!"

"From now on, don't act on your own," Horobi replied, "Obey my orders. Otherwise, I can't promise you'll escape as cleanly as you have been."

"Aw...But why?" Jin pouted, "Mmm...What am I anyway to you, Horobi? ...Oh, I know! I'm your assistant, right? That's gotta be it!"

"Wrong," Horobi replied as he walked up and raised his hands to put them against Jin's face, "You are far more than that."

"I am?" Jin asked.

"To me...you are beyond any soldier, subordinate or assistant. To me, you are my...Son," Horobi explained, making Jin blink, "You are a first. The son of a Maverick. My son...the Next Generation."

"Hm?" Jin tilted his head in curiosity.

'_Grr...this is gonna put a halt in our plans…' _Serges thought a bit, _'I may have a backup ready, but the Control Chip is still missing….we may need _his _help.'_

* * *

"Well, this guy was a pain…" Alia muttered as she looked at the screen with annoyance, "It took an entire week to decode this and not trigger any of the viruses installed on here."

"He really was the brains…" X muttered, "Still...at least we did it."

"Not completely. We're still missing that last important piece: the Control Chip."

"You're right, but...how do we get it? I'm sure the one who has it is the Purple Kamen Rider, he is the leader of Metsubojinrai, so he must keep it on his person." X explained.

"Maybe...but that would seem like a risk, if he is the leader, then wouldn't he give it to someone he could trust?" Alia argued.

"You make a point...but who could that even be?" X spoke, "What of the odd one, Jin?"

"The non-combat type?" she asked.

"He's always strange. He's like a child, just as energetic, and just as much of a problem," X went on, "What if he has it?"

"Something tells me he's not the kind to hold on to it…" Alia muttered.

"Then who…?" X asked.

* * *

Horobi stood on the dam separating Daybreak Town from the rest of the city. He turned his head as he heard footsteps.

"Sorry to call you out of your vacation, but...I am in need of a professional," Horobi spoke, "Megaman X and Kamen Riders Zero-One and Vulcan, they are becoming both pains to our plans, as well as pawns. We need the keys Megaman X has been stealing from us back."

"...heh. Was wondering when I can handle X again…" the figure chuckled lowly, a red glow coming from behind their helmet, "And the Riders have fought weaklings before...let's see how they deal with a resurrected demon…"

"Keep in mind, we still need them for a bit longer. So...try not to kill them just yet. Just keep them in their place on the food chain." Horobi replied with a smirk, "It might be more fun that way."

"You drive a hard bargain, Horobi...but, boy do you know how to make it sound sweet," he chuckled.

"Again, all I ask is you just not kill them yet. Other than that...you can have as much fun as you desire." Horobi smiled as he produced a briefcase full of ZetsumeRisers and ZetsumeRise keys, "Can't let them have the number advantage now can we?" at that he began walking away, "Happy hunting...Vile."

* * *

_SZ:...Oh X is not gonna like that one bit._

_Z0: Stuff... just...got...real._

_GT: Eeyup. So...Preview!_

* * *

**Kamen Rider Zero-One: X Protocol!**

Yua: Due to several issues, AIMS and the Maverick Hunters are requiring a retreat with two agents to participate in being a joint team.

Aruto: Wow...I feel sorry for the guys who get stuck together, talk about awkward~

Isamu: It's me

Aruto: AH!

X: I drew the short stick when we heard he was one of the representatives for the joint team.

Isamu: Shachou-san...you will be joining us as a mediator to relieve tension.

Aruto: EH?!

**Routine 6: A team is being formed?!**

Vulcan and Zero-One: GAH! WHAT IS THIS?!

* * *

_GT: *chuckles* I did something sneaky to them…_

_Z0: IT's gonna get funny real fast._

_SZ: Eeyup_

_GT: So hope you guys enjoy our first original chapter for this story!_

_SZ: eeyup..and we are changing the chapter titles to Routine rather than Entries...kinda have that with Blazbuild already_

_Z0: We done goofed...but we fixed it. So…*pulls out gun and shoots the screen* I had nothing else to say…_

_GT: Ah well. Read and review, folks._


	6. Routine 6

_SZ: Welcome back to X Protocol..and as of now, the latest Kamen Rider Series Saber is out_

_Z0: Stop annoying us with what happens in the last 5 episodes of Zero-One. We saw them already, it's none of your business what we plan with that. _

_SZ: Agreed. We have our plans, but we don't wanna reveal what those plans are, so please be patient_

_Z0: GT anything profound to add to this?_

_GT: I have our plans locked up in that safe. *points at a safe...where Monokuma was trying to pick the lock* ...Really?_

_Monokuma: What? You know how I be, boy!_

_Z0: *Turns into demonic form* __**No Mercy!**_

_Monokuma:…*runs*OH NOT AGAIN!_

_Z0: __**Tonight I dine on everyone's souls! **__*raises hand as blackhole forms and begins sucking in and crushing everything* _

_SZ: 0-0...uh oh...GT, start us off. START US OFF!_

_GT: Z0 already took my idea...ah well, we don't own neither Kamen Rider nor Megaman. They are owned by their respective companies. *drops the curtains*_

* * *

"Is it just me...or does being a president mean a lot of sore wrists if I'm not out personally delivering a Reploid?" Aruto sighed, rubbing his writing hand's wrist as he sat at his desk.

"Well you forget to count the times you run around the city as a masked Superhero," Rico added.

"True...but that's fun. I have super powers, I can jump _really_ good!" Aruto exaggerated 'really'.

"And several of your keys say things that are rather intimidating," Rico sighed.

"Please finish the remaining paperwork. You have a meeting in five minutes with AIMS and the Maverick Hunters," Roll informed as she dropped a stack of papers half her height on the desk.

"Eh?!" Aruto gawked, "Ah mou...why can't I just use my personal stamp like this is the mail…" he groaned, letting his face slam onto his desk.

"...Um...You can," Rico noted.

"HAH!? Why didn't you say something sooner?!"

"You never asked, Aruto-Shacho," Roll replied, making him hit his head on the desk.

"Ahh…" he groaned in utter defeat, "I hate my life sometimes…"

* * *

"Hmm…" Isamu grunted, sitting down in a meeting room as he loosened his tie, "I feel uncomfortable outside of uniform…" As the AIMS Field Captain, he was required to be present for these important meetings, primarily so he could keep things on track and know what he needed to do. He was also forced to dress in a suit and tie once again, as him walking into an office in a full combat uniform tends to scare ordinary office workers. Not that he wasn't armed, mind you...it was just far more subtle.

"Well not everything requires clothes that make it look like you're about to go to war," Yua countered as she walked in

"Excuse me if my job requires me to get shot at rather than sit behind a computer all the damn time," Isamu argued, "Also where the hell is that useless idiot!?"

"More than likely? Backed up paperwork," X noted as he walked in with Alia, both wearing business suits.

"Tsk…" Isamu clicked his tongue, as he made the move to get up, and potentially go drag Aruto here by force.

"Down," Yua ordered, "You know how bad paperwork can get when it's backed up."

"..."

"I'm here!" Aruto shouted as he slid into the room, "No one get mad!"

"Mmm…" Isamu growled.

"Except Fuwa-san…" he chuckled as he quickly got into his seat while Rico and Roll walked in and stood at his sides, "So...what's going on?"

"Due to the repeated Mavericks breaking out recently, most being Reploids that were reported MIA…" Alia spoke, "A task force has been agreed upon to handle it without issues developing between AIMS and the Maverick Hunters by accidental interference with the other."

"In short, they want us to work together so it looks less like utter chaos," Isamu spoke, "As it stands, they think that X and the Kamen Riders are just Vigilantes."

"Why me?!" X asked, shocked at this sudden news he never heard of until now.

"Cause they think you and I are partners for some god awful reason..." Isamu groaned.

"Wait, why?"

"We're both blue and shoot stuff…" Isamu sighed, "Also we have been getting reports of complaints against some of us…"

"What did you do?" Yua asked.

"Actually, these aren't about me…" Isamu smirked.

"Oh, I don't like that look."

"These are for Shacho-san." he turned to Aruto.

"What's wha?" he blinked.

"Apparently...you land on a lot of nice cars…" Isamu explained as he pulled out his phone and pulled up a video of Zero-One falling out of the sky and landing on an expensive looking import car.

"Majide?!" Aruto gawked as he turned to Roll and Rico...the latter whistling badly as she tried to not look at him, "...What did you do?"

"Nothing, nothing. Absolutely nothing," Rico quickly replied.

"The VP requested we do not inform you of that, stating it would 'add pressure if you were aware and result in the neglect of duties,'" Roll stated.

"...A-And you're telling me this why…?" Aruto asked, trying to change the subject.

"The highers ups for AIMS and the Maverick Hunters agreed that we needed a mediator for the initial stages," Alia explained, "They all voted and you were selected due to you being the head of Hiden Intelligence and having access to records of Reploids on the chance we require the information in order to combat Mavericks."

"That and you are the only one who hasn't fled screaming from Isamu after five minutes," Yua deadpanned.

"I said I was sorry for the bullet holes…" Isamu replied knowing which incident she was mentioning in particular.

"So...they want me…'cause I'm one of the few people who can be in a room with Fuwa-san?" Aruto asked sheepishly.

"You're doing it," Isamu ordered.

"Yes sir…" he gulped.

"Also your secret identity." Isamu bluntly stated, "That's rather useful in several regards."

"Because I know all the best joke shops?" Aruto hopefully asked, earning a light bop from Roll's broom, "I was trying to lighten the mood…"

"We'll begin training exercises in three days." Isamu spoke, "We have a set training location far from public view. I'd rather not send us into a joint battle blind. It'll take time for us to...learn to work together." he sighed.

"...He does make a point," X spoke, "If we're going to be fighting together against the Mavericks, we may as well learn each other's moves and such."

"It will help to run routines together, practice formations, learn what each side can do the other can't. Also root out any problems within our teams," Isamu added.

"Like you?" Yua asked.

"On the record of complaints against Kamen Riders...the second most...is Valkyrie." Isamu stated, making her blink in shock, "You keep dodging and causing property damage."

"Well, I guess she's a scaredy cat," Aruto noted.

"Pfft…" X choked back a laugh as Alia facepalmed with a sigh.

"Focus," Roll spoke, tapping her broom on the floor.

"Oh! This will be perfect," Rico noted, "Perhaps Hiden Intelligence can use this to provide camping data for a forest ranger Reploid that can teach people how to camp and promote unity."

"You're using this to further the company?" Aruto asked with a deadpan.

"They're using it to further their efforts in fighting Mavericks," Rico replied, "And we do need that data for an order from that one park in the United States."

"Oh yeah...something about smarter than average but peaceful bears…" Aruto muttered.

"You have to be making that up…" Isamu muttered.

"We are not," Roll replied.

"Oi…"

* * *

"Jin! Jin, vhere are you?! Gah...That stupid boy," Serges growled.

"What's all the racket?" Horobi asked from his work table.

"The foolish boy's been gone all day," Serges replied, "And he has one of the Zetsumerise Keys that hasn't been used yet. Honestly, I thought he was just playing around with them again by pressing the button repeatedly." he held up several papers all doodled on with crayon, "I checked his room and these were all I found."

"Huh?" Horobi looked at them, "'My plan for a key. Step 1: Get Zero-One to pull out the bird key. Step 2: several question marks. Step 3: Profit.' And this one's him riding on a bird. And it has me in its talons."

"You see the problem here…"

"Yes...I must punish my dumb child…" Horobi replied, grabbing his katana, "Before he ruins everything I plotted...I didn't give _him_ this chance to rampage so Jin could be stupid…"

"Yes...and ve both know how impatient and temperamental _he_ can get," Serges added.

"Be thankful we don't pull out the Nightmare Police we _borrowed _from the late Dr. Doppler," Agile added from nearby, currently polishing his katana.

"...Are they still here?" Horobi asked.

"...I'll go check. If not, more zen likely...Jin has them with him," Serges sighed as he walked off.

"Probably does…" Violent muttered, currently lifting some iron boxes, "...Didn't the brat somewhat reprogram them when he ended up frying their circuits?"

"Joy…" Horobi replied stoically.

* * *

"Alright, we're here," Isamu spoke as the group entered a clearing...with Rico slowly making her way in the back with a large hiking backpack on her back while her armored uniform was replaced with a white and mint-green hiking outfit on.

"I think...I ordered...too much…" Rico noted between grunts of effort.

"Why did you even bring so much?" Roll asked.

"I read this list online of essential camping equipment!" Rico explained.

"Was the list for humans or…?" Roll asked as Rico blinked a few times.

"...um…"

"X-san," Roll spoke as the Blue Bomber took Rico's pack off and easily carried it, making her pout.

"I don't even know why a Reploid is so excited for an outdoor camping trip," Isamu muttered.

"She hasn't been allowed to leave the office as much outside of business within the city," Aruto explained

"Nanda...you're just letting her have fun then?" Isamu asked.

"We're gathering data for the Reploid meant for handling situations in large parks and forests," Roll explained.

"Still just sounds like you're having fun," Isamu replied, "But I guess if you can get some work in, might as well. I just dumped all my stuff on Yaiba. She likes paperwork."

"What?! I was wondering why my stack seemed taller than normal…" Yua scowled.

"What? You love all that nerd stuff." Isamu replied.

"You're impossible…" she growled.

"I pride myself on being such a thing." Isamu countered, clearly getting on her nerves as the seconds passed.

"They are a time bomb...aren't they X-san?" Aruto muttered sheepishly.

"Alia...we're Reploids," X deadpanned as a frantic Alia was spraying at the air, "We don't have blood."

"I don't care. Those things are creepy and I swear that they'll adapt to drinking oil," Alia argued.

"Reploid or human...Girls are still a one of a kind mystery…" Aruto muttered to himself.

"I just stopped trying," Isamu grumbled in agreement, able to hear him. He then swung his hand up and grabbed a mosquito by its wings, "Come on, our barracks have been set up across the next hill."

"Barracks?" Rico repeated, her eyes glowing as she quickly looked up the term, "...So I brought a tent to assemble for nothing?"

"Assembling one for data gathering is still possible," Roll noted.

"We have barracks. No need for tents," Isamu stated as he walked ahead.

"..." Rico blinked for a moment before she slumped, a depressing aura surrounding her, "So I got all that stuff...for nothing…"

"Camping is an option," Isamu replied, "This trip is training and simulation. The point is to get used to each other, and part of that is also relaxing together."

"...true..."

"You're being oddly nice…" Yua noted.

"Shut up." Isamu countered.

"Honestly, I'm kinda excited, too," Aruto noted, "This is the first time I've ever camped in the wilderness. When I was a kid, I only got to camp in the backyard, so in a way, it'll be filled with firsts for me, too."

"Please try not to almost die…" Isamu spoke up, "I don't want to have to save you from a pack of wild racoons."

"Hey, that only happened once when I was seven!" Aruto argued before freezing when everyone looked at him with raised brows aside from Roll, "...I, uh...Onwards to the barrels!"

"Barracks, Aruto-Shacho," Roll corrected as she followed the now-fleeing Aruto.

"I'll get the Racoon repellent…" Isamu sighed, "Please...no one else make me save you…"

"Hai~!" Rico replied before X grabbed her backpack once more before she could and carried it off after the others, "Mou…"

* * *

"Hmmm…" a voice spoke as a figure hidden by a large cloak watched them, "What on earth are these fleshbags doing? Camping? I have no idea why humans have this stupid desire to return to nature...but it makes it easier to deal with them out of the public eye this way...especially _X_."

* * *

"Okay...it says 'connect Pole A to Pole B by Slot B-2 and Plug A-2,'" Rico muttered as she looked at some instructions as she and Aruto were attempting to make a tent by a set of log cabins.

"When did tents have to have numbers and letters?" Aruto pondered, looking at several poles of different lengths, "Um...These?" he grabbed two and tried to put them together, "Come on, you…! Gh! Guh…"

"You need help?" Isamu asked as he held a cup of coffee in his hand.

"I think we got it/Yes, please," both replied before sharing looks, "...Please help us/I think we can do it."

"I'm gonna give you 'till I finish my coffee," he replied, "Just...keep trying 'till then."

"I don't get why she doesn't just look it up," Yua noted.

"From what I understand, the reason why we Reploids are so good at what we do is because they have teams do the tasks before a specialized Reploid is made and record it all for them to use," Alia explained, "Such as having a team of chefs make different meals for a Reploid designed to be a chef, or in this case…"

"Gah/Eek!"

"...trying to make a tent on their own, mistakes and all," Alia deadpanned as Rico and Aruto rolled around, tied up in the tent's fabric.

"Ah! Help! We've been tented!" Aruto pleaded.

"Ahh! Tatsukete~!" Rico added.

"Hang on…" Isamu sighed as he put down his drink, he walked over and looked them over, before simply tapping one point. Suddenly that which bound them together unrolled and set them free. He nodded before taking the tent and quickly put it together with the skills of an expert, "I like camping." he explained as the two stared with wide sparkling eyes, "As you imagine...my hobbies involve staying away from technology."

"Sugoi~!" both awed before bowing, "Please teach us your ways, sensei!"

"So what...you're like Tarzan?" Yua commented sarcastically, earning a forced back snicker from Alia.

"I am not putting on a leopard skin loincloth, woman...your kinks be damned."

"!?" Yua's face turned red as Alia couldn't force back a sudden laugh that earned her an annoyed look from Yua.

"But yes...I do like the outdoors," Isamu turned to Aruto and Rico, "I'll show you how to not look like total idiots." he replied, "And maybe you can make a Reploid that can actually help folks." he sighed the last bit, "First rule...the pictures tell you how to do it better then the words." he held the instructions up to them. He then pointed to the designated fire pit, "Second, if you start a fire, only use that spot, and watch it at all times. Don't use fuel like gas; use paper to start the kindling, and then start with small pieces of wood."

"Is this often what goes on in your president's office?" Yua asked Roll as she was sweeping the porch while X was going over the list of team-building exercises that had been made by their superiors.

"Getting sidetracked on the main goal?" Roll replied in her monotonous tone, "Often."

"AH! I'm on fire!" Aruto cried, running around as his pant leg was on fire.

"Ahh! M-matteyo!" Rico shouted as she gave chase, carrying a bucket of water as she tried to help.

"Learn through pain," Isamu replied, taking back his coffee and just watching.

"...Right," X nodded, "So what do we do first on this list?"

"Let's begin with some basic training drills," Isamu began, "While our...non-field agents get adjusted."

"I feel like he's looking at me…" Aruto spoke as the water bucket was now stuck on his head while Rico was searching her bag for something to get it unstuck.

"Agreed," X nodded, trying hard to not facepalm at the antics of the two.

"I swear that armor has to do more than fifty percent…" Isamu muttered, "...Screw it. We'll go with _that_ first."

"Oh please not _that_ first," Yua groaned.

"Eh? What's _that_?" Aruto asked once Rico managed to pull the bucket off him.

"DODGE!"

"AHH!" Aruto yelped as he narrowly avoided a frozen dodgeball, "Nande?!"

"This is to anticipate what your teammate is throwing at you while at the same time dodging anything dangerous should they be compromised."

"But why frozen dodgeballs?!"

"Because I got reprimanded when I used wrenches." Isamu explained.

"...I feel your referencing a movie, but I can't think it at the top of my..."

"DODGE!" At that a dodgeball smacked Aruto in the face sending him flying and then skidding across the ground, "You didn't dodge…" Isamu sighed.

"You're going to cause brain damage!" Yua snapped.

"Nonsense...it's never happened before." Isamu countered as X and Alia looked inside to see all of Isamu's soldiers still dressed in their bullet proof tactical gear and reinforced helmets, "Training continues!"

"FINLAND!" Aruto shouted due to a slowly forming concussion.

"Oh dear…" Rico whispered in worry.

* * *

"Since obviously Reploids don't need to train to stay in shape, we won't need to do anything like that." Isamu spoke, "We'll run some basic drills, we'll run mix team scrimmages."

"A wha…?" Aruto asked.

"Paintball." Isamu sighed.

"Oh...wait why?"

"The teams will form their own strategy. Work against one another to eliminate the other in the time limit." Isamu explained, "And since clearly we can't use live ammo...cause Yaiba locked those up, Paintballs are the next best thing. You get hit then you're out. And since I know Kenji will be on one of the teams...each team gets their own color. So no friendly fire...Kenji...I'm looking at you."

"Yes sir…"

"Oh…" Aruto nodded as he and the others watched Isamu.

"Since command says it's unfair for me to take part...I'm making the team leaders X...and Shachi-san." Isamu added.

"Wait wha?" Aruto blinked.

"You might want to put on some padding." Isamu said, "These things sting." he held up a paintball gun.

"Gh!" Aruto tensed as he ran off...before coming back in full body armor, "Mmm mmm!"

"Eh?" X blinked before Aruto lifted the faceplate of his helmet.

"I said I'm ready!" Aruto replied before putting the faceplate back down.

"He said padding...not full on knight armor," Alia deadpanned

He lifted the faceplate back up, "I know my luck, I walk out in the minimum...I get pelted from every angle when stuff starts flying!" he ranted, "It's also why I made sure to extra protect my weak points."

"Weak points?" Rico asked.

Aruto sighed as he rolled his eyes, "First rule of physical comedy with men...always take the low blow."

"He's scared he'll get shot in the dick." Isamu blurted.

"Exactly, and I am not reliving that 'DODGE' routine!" Aruto added before pushing the faceplate down.

"Right. Begin teaming up and you'll start in thirty minutes." Isamu ordered.

"Yes sir!" his men saluted.

"MMM!" Aruto added with his own salute.

"This seems kinda fun." X admitted, "I always wanted to try one of these games. But Alia says it would be unfair for me to play against normal humans."

"You did score the highest at the aiming course," Alia stated, "Even more than Launch Octopus, the previous record holder."

"It wasn't that hard. I just took notes from Zero's attempt."

"Still, at least this should be somewhat fair." Alia noted before sighing as Aruto fell over and was stuck on his back like a turtle, "Almost…"

"Help! I've fallen...and I can't get up!" Aruto exclaimed before Roll flipped him up with her broom, "...thanks."

"Try not to do something stupid." Isamu sighed as he walked off, "I'll evaluate from the observation room."

"I'm probably gonna regret teaching him how to record video feed to his phone." Yua sighed.

"I may as well check on HQ for the time being," Alia said as she walked off, "Hopefully things are doing okay back home."

* * *

"..." Signas gave a deadpanned look as he looked at what looked like a destroyed lab, "...do I want to know Douglas, Pallet?"

"We were trying to test out some new weapons for X and the Riders to use…" a female Reploid in light-green and aqua armor sheepishly Reploid from behind some cover, some soot covering her glasses.

"Hmm?"

"Well.." a male Reploid in dark green armor began as he rose out from behind cover, rubbing his red-tinted goggles/glasses, "After seeing the combat data on the Three Riders and with all the new Maverick threats popping up, I figured we could lend a hand in giving them some fire power."

"...and this…?" Signas began, motioning to the destroyed lab.

"We tried to put too much explosive oomph into one of the bazooka prototypes," the female Reploid/Pallete replied.

"Also...we may have built it...backwards…" the male Reploid/Douglas chuckled.

"..." Signas just sighed a bit, "Good idea still, but...after you're done with your current project, clean the lab up please…"

"At least we got that chainsaw idea out of beta…" the Male Reploid muttered.

"Chainsaw? Really?" Signas sighed.

"You know. For dealing with enemies with exceptionally powerful armor." he explained the logic.

"...fair enough."

* * *

"Okay...armor...bad idea…" Aruto grunted, his knight armor literally covered in paint as he staggered through the woods, "It made me a big target…"

"Also you can't get out of the way when we return fire!" someone shouted.

"I realize that Kenji! My butt is now different from the rest of me!" Aruto complained.

=Did I say you could take a break?= Isamu asked over a PA system =Do I need to switch it back to 'DODGE!'?=

"AH!" Aruto panicked huffing and moving faster.

=I thought so...and that doubles for the rest of ya too!=

"AH!" Several voices yelped.

"I didn't realize how serious he is during training…" Aruto whispered to himself, "No wonder he and his men are so tough!"

"Honestly the Captain...is freakishly strong…" one man spoke.

"He's faster than all of us while wearing this heavy tactical gear…" a female AIMS soldier spoke.

"He once ripped down a metal door when Commander Yaiba tried locking him in a room…" another shuddered.

"He's more like a super soldier…"

"...Really wishing I was on X' team," Aruto muttered in worry.

* * *

"Shacho-san's aim is total crap." Isamu muttered, watching from the monitors that were linked to the camera's in the woods, "Least X' team is doing much better…"

=Ahh!= Rico yelped in one screen.

"...Though that one asstant of the idiot has terrible aim, even at point-blank range…"

=AH!= Aruto cried, =Why the butt again!?=

"And said idiot is keeping the armor on, thus making himself a big target…" Isamu deadpanned.

=I got it!= Rico spoke up.

=Gah!= Aruto cried as he was the one who was shot.

"...Ugh. I swear they don't pay me enough for this," Isamu muttered, about to take a drink of his coffee before he noticed a figure moving past one of the screens, "...Wait. Who was that?"

"What?" Yua asked.

"There's someone there...someone I don't recognize," Isamu frowned as he focused on the screen, moving the camera around to find the figure.

"Let me run it back." Yua spoke, "There." she spoke as her screen showed a still image of a figure running behind a tree.

"...I smell something fishy," Isamu frowned as he looked at the figure, "...We're going to investigate."

"I'll send a warning to the others," Yua spoke as the two rushed out.

* * *

"Everyone okay?" X asked as he and his team regrouped in a small clearing

"Good so far." one responded.

"Honestly...we have an unfair advantage since the other team has two people that keep shooting their own team." another added.

"True, but a least they are trying," X stated.

"No offense sir...but I think this has devolved into more of a comedy routine with the other team being lost in their own shenanigans."

"Agreed. I mean the girl reploid keeps missing...and she volunteered to join!"

"Well...I mean it's not like either of them have ever...played before." X muttered.

"I think I got it!" Rico's voice could be heard.

"My face!" Aruto cried in pain.

"Oops...gomen, Aruto…"

"...least she's trying," X whispered.

"No offense sir, but I think your..too nice at times," one soldier spoke

"Well at least this is just a training operation. Nothing of importance is lost, and we learn...what to fix." X added, "Still...there could be other reasons Fuwa-san made Aruto participate." he whispered to himself, "Hmm...let's see if we can k-" X began, about to take a step before stopping, "...We're not alone."

"What?" one asked confused.

"...heh heh heh. Was wondering when you'd notice, X," a voice chuckled, making the soldiers tense as a cloaked figure walked out from behind a tree, "Long time no see."

"...How do you know me?" X demanded with a frown, gaining his armor as he aimed his Mega Buster at him.

"Aw~ That hurts, X...you should've recognized this voice...especially since it took you and Zero to take me down." he laughed, holding his arm up to reveal the white armored hand.

"...?!" X' eyes widened in shock and horror upon realization, "N...no…"

"Yes…" the figure chuckled as they tore their hood off, revealing themselves to be an armored Reploid.

The Reploid had a somewhat similar armor structure to X. But his was a shade of deep purple almost violet. Gold trimmed his armored boots, gauntlets and square shoulder guards. His abdomen was white with an all purple upper torso. He had a purple helmet with white sides framing where would be a jaw, and a T shaped visor. Attached to his back was an ammo pack-like holder linked to an over the shoulder mounted cannon. An ammo belt like power cable linking his weapon and pack together.

"VILE!"

"Missed me?" Vile taunted as he sidestepped a charge shot, "Guess not."

"How are you even back?! I...me and Zero destroyed you back at…!" X began.

"Aw I know," he taunted, cutting X off, "But...someone helped put me back together."

"...It was Metsubojinrai, wasn't it?" X frowned.

"Give the boy a prize!" Vile laughed, "He's gotten smarter." he tapped his helmet before his cannon aimed down and shot at the ground, making everyone scatter as an explosion kicked up a large amount of dirt and debris.

"Everyone run and get the others!" X shouted to his team, "I'll buy you as much time as I can!"

"But sir…!"

"JUST GO!" X shouted.

"Better do what he says…" Vile chuckled from behind X, making him turn to shoot before he grabbed him by the neck, "It's not wise to fight a demon like me…"

"D...demon?" X grunted before Vile threw him through a tree.

"That's right...my hatred for you alone has given me enough fuel to rise up from hell…" Vile chuckled darkly as a red glowing slit eye glared from underneath his visor, "And come back as a demon..."

"Then I'll just send you back!" X shouted as he began shooting back at Vile.

"I love that energy!" Vile laughed as he returned fire, his shots colliding with X' as they began to run for cover, "Too bad Zero ain't here! I would _love _to have taken you both on myself!"

"I'm a lot stronger than I was back then!" X countered, "It won't be like last time!"

"Let's test that theory, shall we?" Vile countered back as he moved from behind his cover, crouching down as one of his boots opened up to fire out a stream of fire at X.

"?!" X tensed as he quickly rolled out of the way, causing the flames to burn up the tree he was hiding behind, _'Not good...he's upgraded his arsenal as well.'_

"What's wrong, X? MY new weapons take you by surprise?!" Vile laughed as he threw his fist out, causing it to fire forth as small jet wings grew from it as it headed towards the Blue bomber.

"You've really gone all out on modifications haven't you!?" X grunted ducking out of the way in time, "But that's not gonna change anything."

"I don't know. I got you on the ropes." Vile laughed as his arm returned, "Why don't you have your Rider friends to help ya?"

"I can handle you myself."

"Yeah...but can your friend Zero-One handle two at once?" Vile countered

"?!"

* * *

"Those don't sound like paintballs…" Aruto noted as he finally tossed his armored suit aside, "Rico any idea what's happening?"

'I'll check a-" Rica bega as she reached for something, only to tense up, "...uh oh."

"?"

"I...forgot my tablet back at the barracks."

"Ah...well I guess...I...should...s-suit up…" Aruto patted himself over several times, "Oh...right...I left my Driver back at the...barracks...along with all my keys and my phone…"

"USO?!" Rico gawked.

"Aww~ Then that means no Falcon~" Jin's voice groaned.

"?!" Aruto tensed as he quickly turned, seeing Jin slumped against a tree.

"It's you again." Rico spoke as she backed up behind Aruto.

"Aw...I came all the way out here...got lost...kidnapped by racoons...just to take the Falcon key!" he complained, "And those Racoons still keep trying to kidnap me too!"

"Maybe it was all that beef jerky you had on you," a new voice spoke up.

"Baka...we're robots. Why do we need to eat beef jerky?!" another new voice snapped.

"For the protein?"

"..."

"You okay, Bit?"

"Yeah Byte. Just..aneurysm out of sheer stupidity."

"Wow...didn't know you where that stupid Bit!"

"D'oh!"

"...eh?" Aruto blinked.

"...oh well. May as well have my new friends distract ya while I get the key at hta barracks," Jin shrugged.

"?!" Aruto tensed as he grabbed Rico and quickly jumped out of the way of an attempted slam from two figures.

The First was as tall as a normal person, and was clad in yellow, orange and blue armor. Their armor formed into yellow boots, with blue shoes tipped with white armor. Their waist armor was yellow with two orange loops making it look like they had on shorts. Yellow chest armor with two orange rings on each pectoral section of their torso. Spiked yellow shoulder armor, their grey arms leading to blue and yellow gauntlets with orange piping around the end, their yellow hands ending in silver knuckle studs. Their helmet was yellow with a silver mouth guard and two visible optics resembling human eyes, a red Magatama decorated their forehead, while two blue dumbbell-like energy coils were attached to each ear.

The second easily towered over them all and was decked in red, gunmetal grey, and gold armor. If one were to describe this one simply, he looked like a Nioh Statue come to life. The Red armor formed boots on each leg which were decorated with bolts. His waist had a golden belt around his midsection, with two armored flaps of armor framing the sides of his legs, a red and green codpiece pulling this almost summo look together. His torso was almost entirely red save for the gunmetal 'gut' which protruded out. His red shoulders each had an outward facing screw feature, leading to the red gauntlets over each arm and his blue armored hands. A large golden ring was attached to his back as green cables connected to his head, which helped with his comparison to a Nioh statue given his gunmetal face and it's resemblance to the iconic statues, save for the metal which formed what looked like a pompadour on his head.

"So...who are your buddies?" Aruto gulped as he and Rico stepped back some more.

"Hi! I'm Byte, and this is Bit," the tall one greeted, "We are the Nightmare Police...though we ended up in prison once after meeting Jin. Funny enough, Bit was a Prison.."

"Byte I swear to our lord if you finish that I will end you…" the shorter of the two/Bit growled.

"Kay."

"Point is we're the latest members of Metsuboijinrai," Bit stated to Aruto.

"Yeah I kinda assumed…" Aruto nodded simply, "Honestly...the big guy doesn't talk like I expected. And it's throwing me off..."

"Wha...Byte is awesome." Jin argued.

"Finally someone who understands my pain and it's a blasted human…" Bit sighed to himself, "Also would you believe we were more menacing before this one.." he jerked a thumb at Jin, "Fried our circuits and caused a software reset more or less in us?"

"Yeah he doesn't seem that smart…" Aruto admitted.

"Say wha…" Jin tilted his head.

"Hey we can be smart," Byte argued, "Heck if we wanted, we could've just brought some Mettaurs and just have them keep their helmets down."

"Eh? Why?"

"Because no one can harm them as long as they keep themselves hidden in their helmets."

"Oh~ I get…"

"Getting off track again, Jin," Bit groaned, "Just...just go and get that Key you want while we distract the human."

"Human is gone." Byte spoke while pointing to the Aruto and Rico-shaped smoke cloud..

"...And you didn't say anything why?"

"But...I just did…" Byte replied.

"...Ugh. Fine…" Bit began with a groan, holding his hand out as a energy sphere formed in it, "If he wants to play cat in mouse...fine. He's the mouse…" he tossed out the energy sphere, which began to follow the direction Aruto and Rico left, "And we're the cat."

"I wanted to be a dog…" Byte muttered in disappointment.

"I want to be a bird!" Jin cheered.

* * *

"I think we can make it...they seem kinda stupid." Aruto spoke as he and Rico ran through the woods towards camp.

"Hai, but I don't think we should underestimate them," Rico argued.

"Oh please. What could they have I…" Aruto began before he tensed, ducking under the energy ball Bit had thrown earlier, "Woah nelly!" he yelped before he and Rico tensed up when the ball turned back around and headed towards them, "Oh geez!"

"Eeyah!" Rico yelped as the two hopped out of the way in time, "I think it's locked onto us!"

"Me and my big mouth...Rico remind me to teach you what Murphy's Law is, and to make sure I never enact it again!" Aruto cried in panic.

"Already taking mental notes!" Rico yelped as she and Aruto shot up and ran, the energy ball hot on their tail as it swerved through a few trees, intent on hitting its targets.

"How do we stop that?" Aruto asked in concern, "Ah...why do bad guys always have to show up at the worst moments!?"

"Grr…" a voice made them blink before a small tree was knocked over and blocked the path of the energy ball.

"...was that a bear just now that saved us?" Aruto nervously asked.

"No...I think it's a very annoyed Isamu-san," Rico gulped.

"Your right." they turned back to see the angry AIMS Captain standing there, "But not at you. Now...follow me if you want to live." he ordered.

"I got that reference!" Aruto called out as they began running again.

"Now catch me up to speed. What did you two encounter?

"Metsubojinrai, who apparently got two new members called the Nightmare Police," Aruto explained.

"Great...and I think there is another one. I heard heavy gunfire on the other end of the forest." Isamu spoke, "We need to get back to camp, grab our gear and fight them off."

"Agreed," Aruto nodded, "Rico, you check on Alia-san and Roll-san and stay with them."

"Hai!"

'_X..what are you dealing with?' _Aruto thought.

* * *

"Come on X...where did ya go?" Vile asked as he looked around, having lost track of X for a moment, "I know you're hiding out here somewhere…"

X looked around his cover as Vile was facing a totally different direction. He sighed and went back behind cover hoping Vile would get lost.

"Clever trick...using that ice attack to hide your trail. But I'm not gonna let you run away." Vile added as he looked around, "Trail stopped there...he spread it out to hide if he backtracked...but if I was a rotten goody-goody...where would I go? Not very far I'd venture." he aimed upwards towards the sky, "Surely...within bombardment range." he began shooting as the blasts of energy traveled up before arcing over and back down towards the ground.

"?!" X tensed before quickly rolling out from behind hsi cover, dodging the blast as he quickly turned to aim at Vile, only for him to aim right back at him.

"Hehehe...I figured you'd stick close!" he cheered, "All it took was burning down a little bit of this disgusting forest."

"..."

"What's wrong? No words to say?" vile taunted, "Not gonna use the same ability you 'borrowed' to use on me?"

"No...that would be predictable," X stated before smirking a bit, "But I do have this to say...Storm Tornado."

"Storm wh-" Vile began before X' armor changed color for the corresponding power up..and soon fired a massive tornado that sent Vile flying back and through a few trees, "That was...unexpected." he growled annoyed now.

Vile stood up as he aimed and began charging a shot. X aimed back before blinking and lowering his arm. Vile paused and looked back only to be blind sided by Isamu as he tackled into him, the human hooking his arm around Vile's cannon and head, before spinning around and tossing the Maverick away and into some bushes.

"What the hell was that?!" Vile shouted.

"No time now! Run!" Isamu ordered as Aruto and Rico caught up.

"Did you just flip him?!" Aruto asked.

"He wasn't that heavy!" Isamu snapped as he motioned them to keep running, "Just go!"

"Got it!" X nodded as he ran off.

"And back to more running!" Aruto shouted as he and Rico followed after him.

"What!?" Vile asked, still utterly shocked he was tossed around like a rag doll.

* * *

"I have to wonder if these kinds of scenarios are the fault of my own karma...or those idiots just attracting danger." Yua sighed, watching the monitors to see their friends runnin through the forest while the Mavericks were all busy being shocked or arguing to get anything done, "...probably a mix of both somehow…"

"Yua, what's g-" Alia began as she hurried into the room, only for her eyes to widen in shock when she saw Vile on one of the screens, "M...masaka…"

"What is it?" Yua asked.

"That...that's Vile," Alia replied as she moved over, "He was a former S-A rank Maverick Hunter in the 17th Elite Unit. He was arrested and dismissed from the Maverick Hunters for disobeying orders and threatening both his comrades and innocent bystanders, both human and Reploid. But...that shouldn't be possible. He...he was reported dead during the war with Sigma. X confirmed it himself from the report he gave to my predecessor."

"No offense, but it seems like that's become synonymous with MetsuboJinrai…" Yua spoke up, "It even looks like he's working with one of their agents." she pointed to Jin who was pointing and laughing at Vile with Byte.

"...hold it…" Alia whispered as she took a seat and moved over to a nearby computer, "those two robots with him...I swear I've seen them before...let's see...here we go," she spoke as she pulled up an article, "They belonged to a Reploid Scientist by the name of Dr. Doppler. He had been working on a vaccine for the Maverick Virus, but he was found dead in his lab with his robots missing."

"Well...I think we know where the robots went…" Yua muttered, "I really hope that means they aren't related to the death part…" They then blinked and turned their heads to the window as they heard the sounds of Aruto screaming, Isamu cursing, and Rico panicking. All while X was busy shooting at the Maverick drones that had been chasing them.

"Why do they always have goons?!" Aruto asked as he and Rico kept running.

"How should I know?!" Isamu asked as he grabbed the arm of one...and ripped it clean off before proceeding to bash it's head in with it's own appendage, "Just hurry and get your stuff!"

"GOT IT!"

"...oh my god," Alia and Yua facepalmed.

"Aruto-shachou," the two tensed when they saw Roll standing near the window, holding the Zero-One Driver and ProgriseKeys.

"...I didn't even see her come in," Yua whispered as Aruto rushed for the window

"Quick! Give me Fuwa-san's Driver too!" Aruto called out.

"I do not have permission t-" roll began before Yua handed her said device.

"It's an emergency and we need the Riders help," Yua stated, already having her own Shotriser out.

"Ah...understood," Roll nodded, taking Isamu's Shotriser before handing it to Aruto, "Here you go."

"Fuwa-san!" Aruto shouted, tossing Isamu his belt and Shotriser.

"Ah!" he called out grabbing it as he strapped the belt on. He quickly used his ShotRiser and began shooting the Mavericks, making them stumble back.

"Okay. Now to h-" Aruto began before he quickly pushed him out of the way just as Byte came down, crashing into the ground with his body, "Woah!"

"...Hi," Byte greeted as he poked his head up from the Byte shaped crater he ended up making.

"Great. Another muscle bound idiot," Isamu frowned, about to shoot before an energy ring wrapped around him, "?!"

"Yeah no," Bit stated as he walked over, "You're the most dangerous of the three, so you're gonna have to sit in time out."

"Grrr…" Isamu growled as he flexed his arms in an attempt to break free.

"As for you two…" Bit began as he looked over at X and Aruto.

"Sorry...but we're gonna have to unalive ya with the Magia," Byte finished.

"Magia?"

"It's what we refer to the Trilobite Mavericks," Byte smiled as the Mavericks that had followed the trio moved around him, "That one's Krusty, and that one's Crawler, and that one's Larry, and that one's Eugine…and that one's Bit Jr."

"God damn it Byte…" Bit groaned.

**=SHOTRISE! RUSHING CHEETAH!=**

"Rushing wh-" Bit began before a blur shot past him, his chest sparking a bit as he staggered back.

"Oh look, Bit! It's Ca-" Byte began before he was shot in the face, "Gah!"

"Hury and change alr-" Valkyrie began before she was suddenly being pulled towards Byte, "?!"

"That was rude…" Byte frowned, a red and blue device at his feet as he wound his fist back, "I was talking to Bit!" he snapped as he punched Valkyrie hard, making her grunt in pain as she was sent flying back and crashed through a tree.

"Now onto you…" Bit groaned as he looked at Isamu, only to flinch as he was actually pulling apart the ring binding him, "That...shouldn't be possible…"

"SCREW YOU!" he roared, finally snapping the ring and freeing himself.

"I thought the 'too angry to die' thing was a joke…" Bit blinked.

"I am made of anger!" he roared and began shooting, making Bit grunt in pain as the bullets impacted him with small explosions.

"Aruto, hurry and transform!" X shouted, firing at some of the Magias as he covered Rico's escape into the bunker

"Right!" Aruto spoke, putting on his Zero-One Driver. He pulled out his Rising Hopper key as he clicked it.

"I'm gonna turn your ass into scrap!" Isamu declared taking out his Shooting Wolf key.

The two moved to open them only for them to be blown off their feet by an explosion. They grunted as everyone else looked up to see Vile. He growled and began shooting again as Aruto and Isamu were swallowed up by smoke and dust.

"Aruto!" X panicked, only to flinch as Vile blasted at the ground in front of him.

"Kill them all." Vile ordered to Bit and Byte, "Blue boy is mine."

"...Fine. I'll get the wolf," Bit stated, "Byte, Zero-one's yours."

"Ugh...I can't see!" Aruto coughed as he felt around the ground for his Progrisekey.

"Damn it…" Isamu coughed doing the same.

The two finally found something as they picked up the already opened keys they grabbed. They quickly went through the same motions as they slotted them.

"Henshin!"

**=PROGRISE! UCHI MAKUMAKURI STAY! SHOOTING WOLF!=**

**=SHOTRISE! RISING HOPPER!=**

"Eh?" Zero-One and Vulcan blinked as the smoke cleared and everyone paused for a moment.

Zero-One's armor changed like with his usual form changes. His mask opened along to the sides as a blue Wolf themed mask formed over the front of his helmet with red eyes. Blue armor on his shoulders and chest resembled tufts of fur, as his boots changed, top of his feet were decorated in blue armor resembling sharp claws.

Vulcan's armor was altered as his helmet has a yellow crown resembling the antenna of a grasshopper while two armored pieces framed his jaw like mandibles. Yellow armor formed a collar around his neck and a chestplate across the entirety of his chest as two armored extensions went over his shoulders which resembled insect legs. Yellow armor formed on the front of his thighs like padding and along the front of his shins and over his boots.

"Vulcan wa...Batta…" Zero-One blinked behind his helmet.

"Zero-One...Wolf?" Vulcan asked slowly.

"This...is new…" Zero-One whispered before remembering the mental link was next, _'...Wait. What personality is this gonna give Roll?!'_

* * *

-Aruto mindscape-

"Wild Roll...cop roll….judge roll?" Aruto whispered as he looked around, "...Okay. Nothing seems to have h-"

"AHH! N-nande?!" Rico's voice yelped, making Aruto turn to see her standing not too far from him...wearing a female police officer uniform while she had a pair of puppy ears, a tail and a collar around her neck, "Wh-what am I wearing, garu?! Where am I?!"

"Eh?! Rico?!" Aruto gawked.

"A-Aruto-Shachou!" Rico yelped

"Why are you in Zea with me? Normally it's Roll who meets me here."

"Eh?! Roll-sempai?!" Rico gawked, "...Wait. We're in Zea, garu!?"

"Yup." he nodded, "Normally Roll is here to help me learn how to use new Keys and forms." he explained, "Time moves slower here." he added as he moved his hand and brought up the manuel, "Shooting Wolf, a Long range combat key, but...I don't have any long range weapons outside of Tora-chan…"

"Eh?" Rico asked, "But shouldn't you have something? I mean the Maverick Hunters tech team do nothing but make new guns, garu."

"...Did you just say Garu?"

"No, garu…" she shook her head.

"I...I'm just gonna go back to reading." he muttered.

"Mmmm~" Rico nodded with a small whine, her ears drooped as her tail slumped.

* * *

-outside-

"...i...is he okay?" Byte blinked, seeing Zero-One just standing there.

"He's been standing there for like 20 seconds now…" Bit noted.

"Give it...a moment!" X grunted as he staggered back a bit after a punch from Vile hit him in the face.

=X, I just got word from HQ. Douglas and Pallete are sending you and the others new weapons= Alia spoke from X communicator.

"Eh? New weapons?" X blinked.

=Yup!= Douglas' voice spoke =It took awhile to find the perfect weapons for you and your Rider friends…=

=We had to cut chainsaw bombs from one...= Palette sheepishly chuckled.

=So after looking back at the data from your guys' battle, we found some good fits!= Douglas laughed =Vulcan and Zero-One should be getting theirs in a second=

" it."

"Okay. I think I got it!" Zero-One spoke up, startling everyone for a moment, "What I miss?"

"Maverick Hunter HQ is sending new weapons to you and Vulcan."

"New weapon?" Vulcan repeated, pausing in fighting Bit before his left hand was suddenly covered in a azure and white X buster with bits of red around it and the top and bottom sporting curved arches, "?"

**=ARROW BUSTER=**

"Eh? Wh-" Zero-One began before his arm was covered in a bronze and yellow gauntlet with the wrist sporting a large drill, "Woah!"

**=DRILL KNUCKLE CANNON=**

=...Wait. That can't be right= Douglas spoke in confusion =The D.K.C should've gone to Vulcan and the Arrow Buster should've gone to Zero-One=

=Uh...Douglas? I think I see why…= Pallete chimed in =They're using each other's Progrise Keys and got each other's new weapon=

=We really need to fix that teleporting system of ours...=

"Cool…" Zero-One spoke, looking at his weapon.

"..." Vulcan said nothing as he quickly aimed at Bit.

"?!" Bit tensed up before summoning a metallic blue shield to block the incoming arrow-shaped blast..only for said blast to split up and curve around the shield, "Gah!"

"...Homing energy shots that can split…" Vulcan noted as he looked at the Arrow Buster.

"Oh th-" Zero-One began before yelping as he punched his weapon at the same time as Byte...who soon began to grunt in pain.

"OW!" Byte yelped as he staggered back, holding his sparking and torn knuckles, "Sunnova bitch, my whittling hand!"

"Sorry!" Zero-One shouted as he swung again as his punch sent Byte skidding back with a small divot marked into his stomach.

"...what's that beeping s-" Byte ebgan before he was suddenly engulfed in an explosion, "OW!"

"...Exploding Drill Punches…" Vulcan whispered, looking between the Drill Knuckle Cannon and the Arrow Buster, "...I feel...conflicted?"

"This is the best thing ever of all time!" Zero-One cheered as he punched Byte back once again.

"Idiots..do something!" Vile snapped at the Nightmare Police before ducking under a charged shot from X as quickly rushed over to the downed Valkyrie.

"Are you ok?"

"I am. Just...didn't expect the magnet," she grunted as he helped her up.

"This thing is useful." Vulcan spoke as he shot up, letting the arrows rain down and destroy all the Magia. Bit and Byte blinked at the amazing aim that took as Vulcan looked over the weapon on his left hand.

"Eh...no birdy…" Jin groaned sitting in a tree, "That's the whole reason we came here for! I don't want a stinky dog! I want a bird!"

"You're not getting my Tori-chan!" Zero-One snapped.

"Learn to share!"

"Oh! I got an idea!" Byte spoke up, "How's about...we cut it in half so they can both get it?"

"..I didn't think it was possible after we've been reprogrammed and reset, but that is literally the stupidest thing you have ever said," Bit groaned.

"If this is how you handle things, no wonder Your Papa called me in to deal with things." Vile laughed.

"Papa?" X asked.

"Horobi has nothing to do with this, Vile!" Jin spoke.

"He's...their leader's son?" Vulcan asked, "But...Robots can't have kids…"

"...I take it back. That was beyond stupid," Bit deadpanned.

"OI!"

"I think he meant in a metaphorical sense…" X whispered.

"And yet he's also not wrong...cause really all of this is stupid." Vile laughed, "The fact you even try and justify it, is stupid X. But then again...it's not like any of you will live long enough for it to matter."

"From something that isn't even alive...that's pretty intimidating." Vulcan countered.

"Oh you think you're clever. But wait…" Vile began as he aimed his shoulder cannon at him, "I have a retort..."

"Mine's faster!" Vulcan countered, shooting first as he blasted Vile's blast out of the air.

"...on second thought, you idiots deal with X and bug boy," Vile stated as he fired another shot at Vulcan, "This one's mine!"

"Ah...it thinks it's mad." Vulcan taunted as he began running while shooting. Vile doing the same as their blasts went back and forth.

"But...he's not a bug…" Byte pointed to Zero-One who's armor was currently that of a Wolf, "Well there's no bug...just a dog, a cat and X."

"Just deal with them already, you defects!" Vile snapped as he and Vulcan rushed out, firing shots at one another.

"I hate this day so much…" Bit groaned.

"Agreed…" Zero-One added, holding his arms up as he sent his weapons back, "I think I'm just more used to this style." he held his hand out as his Attache Calibur was summoned to his hands. He unfolded it and locked it into weapon mode as he squared off with Bit.

"Don't mess with me human!" he complained, bringing out his own energy sword.

Bit and Zero-One dashed and clashed swords as they jumped past one another. Both landed with a side-roll across the ground. They spun to their feet and swung again. Their blades clashed again and again making sparks fly. Zero-One grunted before swinging his leg and scratching Bit across the chest. Bit grunted before stabbing his word forward and striking Zero-One's chest. The two growled and swung at the same time slashing one another.

"Idiot...Shooting Wolf is a ranged combat key," Valkyrie complained.

"Aruto...just has his own method of doing things." X muttered as they turned to Byte.

"I wanted to fight the Dog guy...oh well. Crushing you will be a fun distraction!" Byte spoke as he slammed his fist into the ground attempting to strike them.

X and Valkyrie jumped away as they began shooting the giant of a Maverick. Their regular shots just hit his armor and made sparks fly. Byte growled and punched at X who ducked onder the giant swing. Valkyrie used this moment and vaulted over Byte's arm and kicked him across his face.

"D'oh! Why you little…" Byte growled a bit before tossing out another magnet at a tree, the force beginning to pull in X and Valkyrie as the large Maverick began to shoulder charge at them, "Pain train incoming!"

"I hate this!" Valkyrie grunted, twisting her body around and landing her feet on the tree. She then pushed and was able to push herself enough to meet Byte halfway, she twisted and spun herself around her body before she swung her hands through the ring on his back and grabbed the wires linked to his head.

"Hey get off!" He complained, starting to lose his balance.

"Your own design has a flaw…" she grunted, "You can't reach your back!"

"You also…" X grunted as he aimed, having equipped Storm Tornado as he prepared to fire, "Left yourself open."

"Uh oh. N-" Byte began before he was hit by the incoming tornado, on the verge of falling over before Valkyrie managed to pull him down onto his back, "Gah! I've fallen..and I can't get up!"

"That should not have been that easy…" Valkyrie spoke while landing next to X, "But...can we even hurt him with that armor of his?"

"I don't think so...but Zero-One was able to damage him with that new weapon meant for Vulcan," X whispered.

"I hate how much I need to rely on them…" she admitted to herself.

"...what if...it wasn't meant for just him," X whispered before turning his communicator back on, "Douglas I need you to send that weapon you sent to Zero-One to Valkyrie."

=Huh? But...we were about t...oh! I get it!= Douglas gasped =Pallete?=

=Sending weapon now!= Pallete beamed before Valkyrie's left arm was covered in the Drill Knuckle Cannon's gauntlet, but shrunken a bit to fit her arm.

"..I see. So it's configurated to my and Vulcan's Shotrisers," she noted as she looked at it.

=Now to send her a weapon befitting her speedy fighting style= Palette added before a gold-colored rapier handle dropped into her right hand, the guard of the handle themed after a Cheetah.

**=C-RAPIER=**

"This I can work with." she admitted, "I think I can get in a good clean shot if I attack in a straight path." she looked at the Drill Knuckle Cannon, "With my speed I can get a hit in as good as Fuwa with his strength. But..."

"You won't be able to use a heavy style weapon with the same stamina as him." X spoke.

"Even scaled down to my size, this thing is kinda heavy in order for it to do any damage. How Shacho-san handled this is beyond me honestly." Valkyrie added, "So...we'll have to play this smart. Unlike the other two, our enemy can't be taken down with just our guts."

"Agreed…" X spoke, "This guy is built strong. Even my charged shots are barely bothering him...unless..." his eyes widened a bit when he thought of something, "I got it. I'll knock him your way."

"Hmm?" Valkyrie blinked behind her mask just as Byte managed to get himself up, "I'm not sure what this idea is about...but I guess it's better then nothing."

* * *

"Whoa!" Zero-One grunted as he and Bit clashed swords as their fight led them towards a lake, "Where even are we?!"

The two clashed as they stepped around one another. They swung and slashed one another before moving forward and clashing again.

"You know for a human, you're not a bad sword fighter," Bit noted before jumping back, sending out another homing energy ball at him, "Too bad you'll have to be terminated!"

"Good thing humans have a good track record of not letting that happen!" Zero-One grunted as he swung his sword while pulling the trigger...as a wolf's head of blue energy shot out and crashed into the homing energy ball. Zero-One blinked and looked at his sword, "Oh that is so cool...I gotta get a copy of this key!"

"Toyah!" Bit shouted as he threw out two energy rings, attempting to bind Zero-One while throwing out another energy ball.

"Oh boy!" Zero-One grunted as he jumped back, only to blink as he realized he barely made it out of range, "That's right...this isn't my Batta...I'm a Wolf! I can't jump good!" he swung his sword and knocked the rings away only for the energy ball to strike his chest sending him into the lake, _'I am stronger...but I'm not used to this. I'm slower and I can't jump high into the sky. I feel so grounded as a wolf…' _

* * *

Laser blasts could be heard flying through the air as Vile and Vulcan shot at one another. Vulcan skid to a halt as he aimed and shot once more blasting Vile's energy bombardement shells out of the air letting them explode harmlessly. He grunted and jumped back, only to slam into a tree.

"How does he do this? It feels like I'm a spring...like each step wants to send my flying into the distance…" Vulcan groaned, "Even my own shots feel like they have too much recoil." he looked at the Arrow Buster, "This isn't me...speed does nothing if I can't aim properly."

Vulcan grunted and rolled out of the way of a stream of fire. Vile laughed as his cannon aimed down and began shooting. Vulcan ran as he tried to avoid getting hit. Vulcan flipped over and twisted around, he landed on his feet and began shooting back as Vile grunted and moved out of the way of the arrow like blasts.

"This just isn't my kind of Key," Vulcan grunted.

* * *

"Gah!" Zero-One gasped for air as he surfaced, "It's no good...I can't fight with this key like I do with my others." he shook his head as he climbed to the ground, "If Fuwa-san was here…" he stopped, "That's it…" he looked up at Bit.

Suddenly Zero-One ran off as he twisted his sword around, and used this to entice Bit to follow. The two began running through the woods while clashing swords. Zero-One came to a halt as he heard the sound gunfire off to the left. He stopped and waited for Bit to swing before jumping back causing him to miss. Zero-One swung and cut down a tree making Bit jump to the side before it slammed down on him.

"This Key is amazing...but it's not a good fit for my belt." Zero-One spoke to himself before pulling the trigger and swinging, sending out another Wolf head as Bit countered with his energy ball, "You need to go back to where you belong, Wan-chan!" he looked down at his belt before running off again.

"Get back here!" Bit complained, "I'm getting tired of this clever samurai movie nonsense!"

* * *

Vulcan grunted using both his ShotRiser and Arrow Buster as he shot at Vile. Vile returned fire as the two blasted back and forth. Their shots tore through trees and caused the ground to explode with each miss. They grunted as they kept this stalemate for a while. Vile then blinked and jumped back with a blue wolf head almost bit him. Vulcan looked as Zero-One slid into the area with Bit following.

"Shacho-san?"

"Fuwa-san...let's trade back!"

"Hai." he nodded.

"No you don't!" Bit complained while tossing another energy ball.

"Go to hell, humans!" Vile shouted, unleashing a powerful blast from his shoulder cannon.

The two attacks hit, causing a huge explosion. Vile and Bit stood still for a moment as fire and smoke obscured the two Riders. They then flinched as Red and Blue eyes peered through the smoke.

_**=A Jump to the sky turns into a Rider Kick-The Elevation increased as the Bullet is fired=**_

Suddenly Zero-One in his true base form jumped out and swung down as Bit just barely had time to block, the force of the swing making the ground under him crack. Vile aimed and prepared to shoot before blinking as he was pelted by bullets making him stumble back. Vulcan walked out while holding up his ShotRiser.

"Lets try this again." Vulcan growled, "I'm gonna turn you into scrap!" he rushed forward and punched Vile making him stagger back. He swung his ShotRiser and aimed it at Vile, who flinched only for no bullet to hit, the Maverick then grunted as he was kicked across his helmet.

"This feels much better!" Zero-One cheered as he jumped over Bit before swinging his sword and slashing him across the back.

Bit growled and swung around to hit Zero-One, only to miss as the Rider jumped over his sword. Zero-One laughed as he began skipping in place. He then swung his leg out as Bit crossed his arms to block...only for the force to send him skidding back and into a tree. He then blinked as Zero-One jumped into the air and began bouncing off trees, bouncing around like a ricocheting pinball. Bit then grunted as Zero-One closed in and landed a kick to his chest, sending him through the tree and skidding across the ground.

Vulcan grunted as he held up his Attache Shotgun before unfolding it. He pumped it once before aiming it behind him with his left arm. Vile blinked as Vulcan pulled the trigger and the shotgun blasted off a powerful round...as the Rider used the Recoil to propel himself forward and shoulder check the Maverick pinning him to a tree. Vile then grunted as Vulcan slammed the ShotRiser into Vile's stomach and began shooting point blank into him, causing a series of small explosions. Vile stumbled back and aimed his cannon at Vulcan, only to flinch as the shotgun was pointed at him. The two growled and fired causing a huge explosion.

"Gh!" Vile grunted as he skidded back, some burn marks on his armor, "...heh heh...oh you're good...really good for a fleshbag."

"Vulcan…" Vulcan spoke walking through the smoke, his armor scuffed up but he himself seemed unfazed by the explosion that just struck him, "Remember it...it's the name of the Rider who will rip every Maverick apart...scrap metal by scrap metal...so you'll never hurt another life ever again." he spoke, "So remember it...Kamen Rider Vulcan…"

"Vulcan...Oh I'll be sure to remember it...on your destroyed tombstone!" Vile cackled as he opened fired once more, this time firing a large laser from his shoulder cannon at Vulcan

"Grr!" Vulcan tensed as he was struck by the beam.

"Hahahaha...ha…" Vile paused as the beam kept hitting...but Vulcan...was stepping forward.

"Grrr…" he growled pushing forward, "No...more…" his hand shot out and grabbed Vile's cannon before forcing it up and making him shoot into the sky, "As long as I breathe...no one will suffer at the hands of a Maverick...I don't care why...I don't care what you were made for...the moment you aimed at humans...you became my prey!" he growled, gripping Vile's cannon and making it spark, "RAH!" he roared, applying more and more pressure with his hand.

"O-omae...are you even human?" Vile asked in shock, "You're...some kind of monster…"

"I'm the monster who's coming after you…" Vulcan growled.

"...Oh, that sounded badass," Zero-One whispered in awe before blocking Bit's energy ring.

"Stay focused!" Bit shouted as he jumped up, his shield out as he intended to slam it down on him.

"Hup!" Zero-One flipped and landed on his hands as he aimed his legs up...and used them to catch Bit's shield as he balanced him, "Be careful...I never skip Leg day!" he grunted pushing with both legs and sending Bit flying back and into the canopy of the trees.

"...Okay. I may need to re-evaluate who's tougher between the Riders," Bit grunted.

"WOAH!" Byte yelled as he crashed into the area, "That drill really hurts!"

"Crap…" Valkyrie groaned as she and X ran after him, "Cheetah just doesn't have the power to make full use of this weapon."

"Then hand it here!" Vulcan shouted as he kicked Vile back.

"He sounded really excited there," X whispered as Valkyrie managed to get the gauntlet off.

"Here!" Valkyrie shouted as she tossed Vulcan the Drill Knuckle Cannon.

"MINE!" Vulcan swung his left arm, letting the gauntlet latch on and adapt to his size. He swung his arm around before rearing it back to use it.

The Mavericks regrouped as they looked at Vulcan who tapped his hand down on his ShotRiser as it was on his belt. Blue energy began going from his body into the Drill Knuckle Cannon as its drillbit began spinning at such high speed it seemed to suck in air around it. Vulcan growled as he pulled the trigger of the ShotRiser.

**=SHOOTING BLAST FEVER!=**

Vulcan growled as he punched his left arm forward, unleashing a giant construct of a drill bit as it tore through the ground while shooting at the Mavericks. The tip suddenly split open to reveal a Wolf's head as it growled and bit down upon impact. Those on Vulcan's side flinched as a blinding flash went off from the explosion. After a moment they looked to see meters of forest cleared away by the explosion, the edges of the blast crater lit on fire as the three Mavericks were able to use Bit's shield and Byte's sturdiness to survive the blast. The shield began cracking...until it shattered, leaving only a heavily damaged Byte who fell over….on top of Bit.

"D'oh not again!" Bit complained.

"So..much...pain…" Byte wheezed.

"...Ok. I knew I should've bought my Goliath," Vile whispered.

"...you keep that Arrow Buster," Vulcan spoke to Zero-One, "This one is mine."

"B-"

"_Mine_."

"Okay, okay!" Zero-One yelped as he held his hands up in defense.

"To think Fuwa-san could bring out so much power with that weapon." X muttered.

"His arm should be broken…" Valkyrie noted as Vulcan swung his arm around like nothing happened, "But he doesn't even seem bothered by the recoil...what even is he? There's the power of stupid...and then there's just inhuman."

"Oi...you called me stupid again, didn't you, Nerd woman…" Vulcan complained.

***POKE!***

"Ite!" Vulcan yelped as he jumped back, "Who did that?!"

"Not sure what you mean," Valkyrie whispered, holding her beam rapier's grip behind her back.

"..." Zero-One scooted away from her and over to X before whispering, "Is it just me...or are all the women we know scary?"

"Rico," X countered.

"Oh right. ...Did you know she was in Zea and kept saying 'garu' when I used Shooting Wolf?" Zero-One asked.

"Garu?"

"Yep," he nodded simply.

"I can see why Horobi has issues with them. Humans who are becoming so powerful..." Vile grumbled, "They are matching us...no...those two are outpacing us Mavericks...That is annoying. Humans...outpacing us...No wonder he wants me to deal with them. But I need to repair and acclimate."

"Hold it!" X shouted as he jumped over, aiming right at Vile as he landed, "You're not going anywhere…"

"...Oh, is this about your buddy Zero?" Vile asked, making X tense, "It is...well tough shit. Like you could bring him back anyway...well...not without a certain part he needs."

"...Oi. What's he talking about?" Vulcan asked.

"Zero…" Zero-One repeated.

"...What?" Vulcan frowned at that.

"They're intending on bringing Zero back," X explained, keeping his eyes on Vile, "And apparently he has the final piece we need to get him before they do."

"Sharp wit, X…but who's to say I even have it on me?" Vile countered, "Heck...what makes you even think I have it?"

"Tch…" X grit his teeth.

"I don't care what's going on here. But time for you three to meet the junkyard." Vulcan spoke as he prepared to attack again.

"..." Vile didn't say anything as he aimed his shoulder cannon on the ground, firing a blast that resulted in a large dust cloud.

"?!" X tensed as he and Vulan prepared to fire back, the smoke setting to see now trace of Vile or the Nightmare Police, "?!" he tensed as he put his communicator up, "Alia, d-"

=We lost track of them. He must've let out a EMP wave to knock out all the cameras= Alia answered.

"So they ran to save their shells…" Vulcan muttered, "They'll be back." he replied as he began walking off, "And I'll be ready."

"...Same," X nodded, lowering his X Buster as he glared at where Vile once stood.

* * *

"...Well that was a bust," Jin pouted

"Jin…" a voice spoke as Jin slowly turned to see Horobi standing there, his eyes obscured by shadows, "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, holding up his katana and slowly began unsheathing it.

"...Uh…" Jin began nervously.

"No excuses…" Horobi said simply holding his sword up, "Seibai…" he spoke with a dangerous and annoyed edge to his voice.

"Matte Horobi...Horobi...GYAH!-!-!-!" Jin's cry was all that was heard.

* * *

"Mou...so much for an outdoor trip," Rico sighed as the group was already prepping to leave, "But we did get bits of data for the company."

"We'll have to pick another time to finish that project." Aruto sighed, "Besides the wood...is kind of a mess…"

"I'm not saying sorry," Isamu muttered as his shirt was gone, revealing he was bandaged up from the blasts he let hit him before.

"It was kinda neat to know we can swap Keys in an emergency," Aruto noted as Rico froze, "Even if Rico did go ga…"

***THWACK!***

"NO!-!-!" Rico screamed, her face bright red with steam coming out her head while Roll blinked twice, looking between her empty hands and the broom in Rico's as she stood over a twitching Aruto with a smoking bump on his nogging, "Nothing happened! _NOTHING_!"

'_A Reploid showing embarrassment…'_ Yua thought with a sweatdrop.

"I haven't a clue what that was about…" Isamu muttered, "But...like with all cases of weird women, I don't give a care." he sighed walking off.

"..."

"...Is this about you saying ga…" X began before Rico spun around, aiming the broom at him, "...Nothing. You said nothing."

"Hai..." Rico nodded as she moved the broom back.

"Come on...before we ditch you idiots here!" Isamu shouted as he put his shirt back on, "I won't lose sleep over leaving you here for the forest monsters."

"Forest monsters?!" Rico asked in concern, dropping the broom with Roll catching it before it hit the floor.

"Ah. Various Yokai like to prowl in the forest to curse idiots," Isamu stated.

"Y...Yokai?" Rico meeped as she unintentionally jumped into Aruto's arms, shaking like a leaf at this point.

"But they don't exist...do they?" X asked.

"Oh, they do. You won't even know they're there until it's too late," Isamu chuckled as he walked off.

"Uh...guys...guys?" Aruto asked, seeing most of his Reploid friends save for Roll all frozen.

"Y-yokai exist…" X muttered.

"Let's get out of here!" Rico complained.

"Guys...I don't think Yokai...if they exist...could even haunt Reploids…" Aruto argued, "I mean...you guys don't have soft mushy brains like us remember.'' At this point, he was just trying to give them a false sense of courage.

"...Ahem. Th-that is true after all," Alia muttered as she walked over...while trying to keep herself calm as well, "I mean..it's not like they're those nasty….creepy...blood/oil sucking mosquitos…"

"Okay...you guys should probably get back to the city where things make sense for you. And leave the woods to the bears..." Aruto sighed.

"There are bears out here?!" Rico gawked.

"They're just giant bears…" Isamu smirked in the distance, "They don't bother you as long as you respect nature."

"...Okay, let's leave please," Rico and Alia meeped as they began to quickly walk away.

"Hai, hai," Aruto sighed, "Maybe we can camp on the company roof for the data..."

"It will not be effective data for a forest ranger," Roll stated.

"Ah...true," Aruto muttered, "Still, thanks to Isamu, it's going to be hard to get Rico willing to go out camping again for the data."

"There are safer spots to camp closer to town. With no spooky rumors or bears," Isamu replied, "Or in my eyes, City people camping."

"You talk like you don't come from a big city…" Aruto noted.

"Uh...yeah…" Isamu muttered, putting a hand to his head, "Yeah…?" he repeated as he flinched a little, "Let's just go…" he sighed.

* * *

"...Do I even vant to know?" the mad doctor of Metsubojinrai questioned, seeing Horobi walk in with a tied up Jin and dragging in a chained up Bit and Byte.

"I'm getting grounded…" Jin sniffled.

"It seems our enemies advanced faster than expected...annoying. But not all together a problem." Horobi replied, "We will just need to up our power to match them."

"Tch. Of course that'd happen," Serges scowled, "Zis is like all those years ago vhen we had to deal with ze original Rider-Reploid duo."

"There was a Rider before Zero-One?" Byte blinked

"He was a major pain," Horobi added, "No matter what, he always got in our Commander's path."

"I never got to meet him, but Horobi tends to curse him when he's alone," Jin noted.

"R...right…" Bit grunted as he managed to get out from underneath Byte.

"Jin...to your room," Horobi replied, lifting Jin up...and tossing him into what was his room, "If you leave this base again...you will be punished...wakata?" he asked as his eyes were shadowed, allowing his eyes to glow red.

"...w...wakata," Jin nodded with a small meep.

"Good…" Horobi replied, slowly closing the door to ensure Jin got a long look at the angry glare, "I'm not mad...just…"

"Don't say it…" Jin panicked.

"_Disappointed…_"

"He said it!" Jin cried as the door was shut.

"I'm just glad today is over…" Bit groaned.

"Can't believe you guys lost…" Violent muttered, "Couldn't you guys combine or something to overpower them?"

"Yes, but that's best saved for emergencies or if needed for a plan."

"Agreed. You never reveal your trump card at the beginning of a match," Agile added, "In fact, the Riders are lucky Vile didn't bring his personal Ride Armor."

"I underestimated them 'cause they are humans...no...one of them is some freak…" Vile spoke up, hiding behind a corner, "What kind of monster did they put into that suit…?"

"No clue," Horobi replied, _'Though we'll need to be cautious..least until we can finish _his _new body…'_

* * *

_SZ: Well now…_

_GT: That was ominous._

_SZ: Indeed...ahem. Anyways..PREVIEW TIME! Z0?_

_Z0: *punches the screen making it fall apart* _

* * *

**Jikai, Zero-one X Protocol!**

Alia: Someone is cutting off the city's water supply at the dam.

Vulcan: We can't even hit him…!

?: You will not go near my sanctuary!

Zero-One: I don't know what your deal is...but I have to stop you!

**Routine 7: A Toxic Sanctuary!**

X: Is that...a frozen Reploid?

* * *

_SZ: Yup. We're taking more notes from the Megaman X manga._

_Z0: Things bout to get crazy_

_GT: Very crazy. So until then, please Read and Review!_


End file.
